There is no reason a QA person cannot also be one of the growers taking care of the operation.
then they need to allow the growers that have been around mj for 20+ to become part of the team, we know a lot more about the issues, than a QA does. how many actual QA have ever dealt with mj... not a lot. and if the gmp, sops is set up, and most rooms are controlled anyway, things will work every day the same for yrs, minor clitches but if you have your safety kill switches set up there should be no issues. and staff monitoring the rooms, keeping spotless clean, and doing daily what is needed, the lab tests insure the flower is not contaminated in any way & %s.
and for tweed to already have so many issues, shows this is bs for the QA side 10000% they have fucked up so bad imo they should be shut down for stupidness, bugs, buying wet weed, and whatever else has been braught up. that needs to be stopped now, they... don't have a clue. $$ don't grow weed, street smart growers do
I'm sorry my friend, but you are now producing a licensed and controlled health care product for the masses. It is no different for anyone producing ginseng, ginko or other medicinal herbs, or even food for that matter....to put it in perspective, in a large commercial bread-making facility, the licensed QA person is not a baker. Not to mention, how the heck does anyone provide HC with a resume and prove that they have been exclusively working with MJ for 20+ years?! "Yeah, I was sorta breaking the law for about 10 of those years, but can you still give me my license anyway?"
I do not want to discourage you or come across as rude, but I do not think you are aware of what developing and running an entire QA program involves. That has been my career for the past 6 years, as well as growing. It is a major process that needs to meet all sorts of regs set out in various acts, not just the MMPR. It takes the schooling and the know-how to run a proper QA program, not just street smarts. We are growing medicine here, not recreational MJ, and it's a whole different ball game.
HC wants to see a full-time QA person that has experience with the production of a controlled product, and that has experience dealing with regulating bodies. They also want someone that has worked in a lab setting and is comfortable with all of the best practices, techniques and terminology associated with lab work as the QA person is responsible for interpreting all lab data received from batch testing, as well as data collected and measured on site. Street-smart growers cannot provide that......it is MUCH more complex and involved than just keeping things clean and following directions. There is no specific educational or work experience requirement to qualify as a QA person, but HC has stated that it is up to applicant to provide a full and detailed explanation of both the proposed QA person's education and work experience, and how they directly apply to that person being able to fulfill each of the requirements of the position set out in the MMPR. I have been looking into this extensively for the last week, and now know this to be the case. I also know that anyone with relevant education and work experience is already making $60,000-$100,000 in the regular workforce, so this is what you are going to have to pay someone full time (and/or make the QA person a partner) if you do not have a qualified person in house already. One advantage of making the QA person a part owner is stability.....as a small LP, what do you do when you spend a bunch of time and money to find the perfect QA person that gets your application approved, only to have them up and quit after a couple of months, or before you even begin production? It is also going to be a serious challenge trying to hire people for a job that may or may not be available based on the success of the LP's application, has no definite start date, as well as a host of other uncertainties. The vast majority of people with adequate qualifications already have jobs with a pension and benefits, or have a lot safer job prospects with established companies.
I am having a go at becoming a small-scale LP myself, but if I'm unable to make that happen for whatever reason, then I will definitely be shopping my services/qualifications to other prospective LP's needing a QA person. Knowing how critical (and expensive) a qualified QA person is to a smaller-scale LP, combined with my growing experience, it is unlikely that I would entertain any job offers that did not include a percentage stake in the company. If any prospective LP's are in a bind on this front, feel free to get in touch with an offer.
I am still early enough in the planning stages of my own LP that I would be willing to listen if the right offer came my way to join forces with someone else who is already progressing through the application process. I am squeaky-clean for the security clearance, and I would be happy to provide all of my education and work experience.
Our application will have approx. 150 pages dealing exclusively with QA and SOPs. I don't want to get into the boring details of QA, but a simple wikipedia search will give you an idea of everything that goes into a legitimate QA program.
We are dealing both with HC and with our patient's health, so EVERYTHING needs to be done 100% the proper-way......there is no half-assing anything if you want a legitimate shot at getting approved, especially as a smaller-scale LP.
