The acronyms behind every standard.
Certification runs on shorthand. If you've been handed a document full of it, this is the plain-English version.
The standards themselves.
GACP
Good Agricultural and Collection Practices. The WHO/EMA baseline standard for cultivation and primary processing of plant material destined for medicinal use. Usually the first certificate a cultivator needs. Read more →
EU-GMP
EU Good Manufacturing Practice. The European framework governing pharmaceutical manufacturing. Annex 7 is the section covering herbal medicinal products. Read more →
CUMCS
Control Union Medicinal Cannabis Standard. A 21-section, independently audited scheme that functions as the de facto export credential for Thai-origin cannabis. Read more →
DTAM
Department of Thai Traditional & Alternative Medicine. The Thai authority administering the domestic GACP licensing pathway. Read more →
Who does what, and under which system.
- QMS — Quality Management System. The complete set of documented procedures, records, and controls that govern how a facility operates and proves it operated that way.
- QAT — Quality Assurance Team. The client's own internal team responsible for running and maintaining the QMS after a consultant leaves. Building one is the exit deliverable of every BioCompliance engagement.
- QP — Qualified Person. Under EU-GMP, the named individual legally responsible for certifying that each batch was manufactured and tested in compliance before it can be released to market.
- SOP — Standard Operating Procedure. A written, controlled, current instruction for a specific task. If staff can't demonstrate the SOP they work under, that's a finding on its own.
- CAPA — Corrective and Preventive Action. The documented response to a finding or deviation: what went wrong, what fixed it, and what stops it recurring.
- NCF — Non-Conformance Finding. A specific gap between what a standard requires and what an auditor found, graded Critical, Major or Minor.
The rest of the shorthand.
- API — Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. The substance in a medicinal product responsible for its effect. Cannabis material entering manufacturing is handled on an API pathway.
- IQ/OQ/PQ — Installation, Operational and Performance Qualification. The three-stage documented proof that a piece of equipment was installed correctly, operates as specified, and performs consistently in real use.
- PQR — Product Quality Review. A periodic review of a product's batch history, deviations, and trends, used to confirm the process is still under control.
- ICH — International Council for Harmonisation. The body behind the Q-series guidelines, including Q9 (quality risk management) and Q10 (pharmaceutical quality system).
- Ph. Eur. — European Pharmacopoeia. The reference standard defining quality requirements for substances and preparations used in European medicines.
- PIC/S — Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme. An international framework aligning GMP inspection standards between participating regulators.
- CanG / MedCanG. Germany's Cannabis Act and Medical Cannabis Act — the legislation reshaping who can supply the German medical market.
- WHO/EMA. The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency, jointly the source of the GACP guidance most cultivation certification is built on.
Not sure which of these applies to you?
That's exactly what the 20-minute call is for. Tell me what you grow and where you want to sell it, and I'll tell you which standard you're actually dealing with.