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What Being a Cannabis Regulator Taught Me About Success in the Industry
While cannabis and hemp operations may be more accustomed to state-level regulations, becoming versed in federal regulations will help avoid major problems down the line. Ready or not, cannabis regulators are watching you. What was once considered a subversive or...
Allay Consulting adds Former Marijuana Supervisor from the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment
See Release on Business Wire - HERE DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hemp, CBD and cannabis compliance consulting firm Allay announced today its newest team member, former municipal cannabis regulator Kara Lavaux, who joins as a Cannabis Compliance Expert. Lavaux brings over...
Allay Consulting September Newsletter: Encouraging Comments on DEA’s Interim Final Ruling
Encouraging Comments on DEA’s Interim Final Ruling If you are involved in the marijuana or hemp industry, chances are you’ve already heard or read the DEA’s Interim Final Ruling for hemp products. Overall, there are two major contentious topics for discussion. The...
Allay Consulting August Newsletter: FDA & Cannabis-Infused Medical Devices
FDA & Cannabis-Infused Medical Devices – What You Need to KnowThe Center for Device and Radiological Health (CDRH) is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) center responsible for overseeing medical devices. Before medical devices can be sold to consumers, the FDA...
Allay Consulting July Newsletter: How to Gain GMP Certification
How to Gain GMP CertificationNot many hemp or marijuana companies have achieved GMP certification, perhaps because they don’t yet realize how much GMP certification can help your company be more efficient, create safer products and from a marketing standpoint, and...
Cannabis Shelf Life Explained
This article is a collaboration from Aurum Labs and Allay Consulting ORIGINAL ARTICLE Authors: Elizabeth Mason, Director of Operations, Aurum Labs Kimberly Stuck, CEO, Allay Consulting Colleen Rafferty, Quality Control Technician, Aurum Labs Cannabis consumers are...
Allay Consulting June Newsletter: Employer’s Obligation for Workplace Respiratory Protection
Employer’s Obligation for Workplace Respiratory ProtectionRecently, in efforts to help protect the public from COVID-19, we have seen so many different respiratory protection methods, including homemade cloth masks, N-95 masks, and half-face/full-face respirators with...
Executive Spotlight of Allay Consulting Founder/CEO
This is an excerpt from an article found on greenmarketreport.com FULL ARTICLEKimberly Stuck was the first Marijuana Specialist for the Denver Department of Environmental Health, and therefore, the first Marijuana Specialist for a public health authority in the...
Allay Consulting May Newsletter: Dietary Supplements or Nutraceuticals?
Dietary Supplements or Nutraceuticals?It seems the meaning of “Dietary Supplements” and “Nutraceuticals” terms overlap, although both have their own roles.Dietary Supplement products are intended to supplement the diet which typically contains isolated vitamins,...
Q & A with Allay Founder
This is an excerpt from an article found on Artemis' Website FULL ARTICLEThis week we continue our blog partner series with Kim Stuck, Founder and CEO of Allay Consulting.Travis (Artemis): Today we are meeting with Kim Stuck of Allay Consulting, a partner of Artemis....
Aligning cannabis with FDA standards
This is an excerpt from an article found on Food Safety Strategies FULL ARTICLECannabis edibles and beverages are a new market for some states; others have been slowly honing their new products for years now. However, there is a need for more guidelines from the FDA,...
Cannabis Certification Primer: ISO 9001 & 22000
This is an excerpt from an article found on Company Week FULL ARTICLEISO, the International Organization for Standardization, has been bringing standards to manufacturers and other businesses since 1947.It's developed more than 23,000 standards in its existence,...
Allay CEO Featured In Authority Magazine
This is an excerpt from an article found on Authority Magazine FULL ARTICLE As a part of my series about strong women leaders in the cannabis industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kimberly Stuck. Kimberly is the first Marijuana Specialist for a public health...
Allay Consulting April Newsletter: Hazard Communication Plans
Chemicals in the WorkplaceIn efforts to remove potential highly contagious COVID-19 and other viruses from surfaces, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends elevated concentration of disinfectants. The higher chemical concentrations are...
CAPA Plan Special Discount for New & Returning Clients!
Has your company executed a CAPA Plan yet? Some states require Cannabis (THC and CBD) businesses to create and implement a CAPA Plan. For example, both Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) requires all marijuana license types to implement a CAPA Plan by...
Allay Consulting March Newsletter: USDA, DEA, FDA: Acronyms in the Cannabis Industry
USDA, DEA, FDA: For Some, the Most Stressful Acronyms in the Cannabis Industry As many of you know, the USDA released the interim final rule for hemp production October 31st. The USDA received more than 4,700 comments and many of those comments were regarding the DEA...
Allay Continues to Help Companies with cGMP Certification
This is an excerpt from an article found on https://hempdepotco.com/ FULL ARTICLECOLORADO SPRINGS, CO –– February 3, 2020 –– Hemp Depot, one of the largest wholesale providers of the highest-quality hemp CBD oil products, seed, and clones in the U.S., today announces...
Allay Consulting February Newsletter: Updates to the Hemp Industry – House Bill 5587
House Bill 5587 - Now that's one exciting hemp HB!! House Bill 5587 was introduced January 13th 2020 and would allow hemp derived CBD to be lawfully included in dietary supplements and/or food. If passed, this bill would amend the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act...
Allay Consulting on GMP in Company Week
This is an excerpt from an article found on Company Week FULL ARTICLE Certification Primer: GMP GMP, short for Good Manufacturing Practice, is a set of ever-evolving standards that have the force of law in guiding food and pharmaceutical production in the U.S. and...
Allay Consulting January Newsletter: GMP in the Marijuana & Hemp Industry
What is GMP?“GMP” is a major buzz acronym in the cannabis world, but what is it and how can it benefit your company?GMP stands for: Good Manufacturing Practices and is enforced by the FDA under Title 21 CFR in the US. GMP ultimately sets baseline requirements for the...
Cannabis 2.0: Rethinking manufacturing for a more regulated future
This is an excerpt from an article found on Company Week FULL ARTICLEThe million-dollar question is: When will buyers decide that quality and transparency matter? It's a good bet that today, a small percent of CBD buyers know where, or how, products are sourced and...
Allay Consulting Owner Featured in Company Week
This is an excerpt from an article found on Company Week FULL ARTICLE Kim Stuck was Colorado's first "marijuana specialist" for DDPHE, the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment. Today she helps cannabis companies on the journey to more professional...
Allay Consulting Announces Partnership to Bring Global Certification Standards to the Cannabis Marketplace
Global Manufacturing Standards come to Cannabis to Improve Quality & Consumer SafetyDenver, CO – May 14, 2019 – Allay Consulting (Allay) - the preeminent cannabis compliance consulting firm in North America – is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with...
Cannabis Grow Operations Compliance and Safety
This is an excerpt from an article found on http:/thegrowthop.com FULL ARTICLE There seems to be a lack of information about how or what producers can do to protect workers in cannabis-specific environments. Addressing the demands on industry, there is a growing...
Marijuana Edibles and Cross-Contamination Risks
This is an excerpt from an article found on totalfood.com/ FULL ARTICLE As marijuana is being legalized in certain states, people are using it in many forms, including edibles. Unfortunately, food safety isn’t always top-of-mind when preparing marijuana edibles, and...
Tips To Keep Your Cannabis Grow Op From Being Shuttered By Inspectors
This is an excerpt from an article found on http://bigbudsmag.com FULL ARTICLE Sooner or later, all commercial growers will hear the knock of compliance inspectors at their door, announced or unannounced, welcome or very unwelcome. In fact, if you’re a licensed...
Marijuana edibles on a rocky road to food safety assurances
This is an excerpt from an article found on foodsafetynews.com FULL ARTICLE They call her “The Weed Whacker.” As the first marijuana specialist for the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment — and therefore the first marijuana specialist for a public...
Food Safety Solutions For Edible Cannabis: Contamination, Sourcing And SOPs
Success for most food manufacturers stems in part from their commitment to food safety and this is no less true for those who specialize in cannabis food products. At this time, there are no official federal regulations for the manufacture of cannabis food products...
13 Female Entrepreneurs, Professionals and Cannabis Consultants May Reshape the Marijuana Industry
In general, women representation in executive positions has shown to be a hurdle in the U.S. in comparison to the “first world” countries, however, when it comes to the marijuana industry, things seem to be a bit different.
Testing facility standardization
Right now, the industry is struggling with licensed testing labs and the significant lack of cannabis testing facility standardization. It’s a complicated issue that is shrouded in uncertainty. CDPHE (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) is working...
Pesticide Contamination
In the last few years, there have been major changes regarding pesticide use and contaminated products in the cannabis industry. Due to the unique nature of cannabis consumption, there is indeed a public health risk posed by cannabis pesticide contaminated products in...
The Importance of SOP’s
Certain Cannabis SOP ’s are required in all facilities. However, in order to create a record of compliance and to avoid risk it is often beneficial for companies to have many more SOP’s than required. At the company level, SOP’s are a set of step-by-step instructions...
Mold in Facility: Mycotoxin Hazards
When cannabis mold toxins become regulated, your organization must have the proper procedures and testing in place. When growing any product for public consumption, avoiding contaminations means lowering the risk of recalls, disposals and bad press. One contaminant...
Banking in the Cannabis Industry
In the Cannabis Banking world, most banks refuse even the most basic functions to anyone with a cannabis license. As a result, businesses are faced with numerous issues from security to paying taxes, and are scrambling for a better solution. At the moment cannabis is...