The United Patients Group Seal of Approval is available to a full spectrum of professionals and products in the medicinal cannabis field. The following descriptions outline various Categories and summarize core competencies that are found in evaluation criteria for each.
Note – UPG Membership required for all Seal of Approval applicants.
Products
- Consumables
- Business License
- Tested
- Processing – Commercial Kitchen? Gluten Free compliant?
- Consistency – Patient and Staff reviews?
- Extraction Methods
- Formulations, Dosing, Potencies
- Labeling – Font Size and Color – Warnings (Pregnant, Breast Feeding, Allergies, Children, etc…)
- If a product is too small to accommodate all nutritional facts, an insert with contents, nutritional facts, formulation, dosing and warnings should be added to the selling of this product.
- Child Proof Packaging
- Expiration Dates
- Storage suggestions
- Regulation Compliant (Regulations per state)
Devices
- Business License
- Instructions – Clear and Legible
- Safety of Materials
- Usage reviews – Durable? Assembly? How efficient is the device?
- Manufacturing
Healthcare Professionals
- Documented graduation/degree(s) from accredited educational institution(s), as well as suitable current licensure for the healthcare services offered
- Desire to gain knowledge and provide patient services in medical cannabis care
- Evidence of acceptable continuing education in medical cannabis care
- Routinely considers cannabinoid approaches to augment treatment plans when providing patient care and/or offering medicinal guidance to individuals and families, when indicated.
Dispensaries
- Business License
- Educated staff
- Safe Access to building
- Cleanliness
- Extra care for new patients – tour, overview etc…
- Only Lab tested products
- Giving Back Campaign – Vets, low income and seniors
- Range of products – including medical – Oils, Tinctures, Topical, Sprays, Suppositories.
- On-site consumption
Publishing, Media, and Technology
- Informational value for the purpose of salubrious promotion of the industry, whether commercial or public
- Proven factual and unbiased
- Non-commercial, unless specified
- Secure Internet Practices
Foundations & Non-Profits
- Business Documentation
- Mission dedicated to social impact and public good
- Conducting operations in good non-profit
- Maintaining official non-profit regulatory status
- Giving Back
Banking, Finance and Insurance
- Proper Documentation
- Compliance with banking regulation
- Secure Confidentiality
- Fair and Competitive rates and fees
- Customer focus with respectable practices
Laboratories
- Proper and updated documentation
- Processing – Cannabinoids – Pesticides – Residuals – Terpenes – Metals
- Pricing
- Turn around
- Many Labs will report higher reads for preferred clients. We need to come up with a way to combat this.
- Many Labs used outdated results.
- The above bullet folds into consistency.
- Equipment
- Cleanliness
Growers
- Lab test all product – No pests, molds/mildew, metals, chemicals/pesticides
- Objective-based potency
- Regulation compliant
- Non-toxic pesticides
- Cleanliness
- Equipment