[Cannabis for medicinal use: development of pharmacopoeia monographs as a quality standard]

Herbal drugs and extracts, like all pharmaceutical starting materials used in the manufacture of medicinal products, must have an appropriate pharmaceutical quality. Corresponding quality standards are described in the individual monographs of the pharmacopoeia according to § 55 of the German Drug Law. This includes information on ingredients and active substance content, among other things. This article describes the development of the Cannabis Flower Monograph for the German Pharmacopoeia (DAB) and the quality requirements and storage conditions contained therein. The state of development of monographs for the European Pharmacopoeia is also presented.After it was announced that there would be new legal regulations for the medical use of cannabis flowers and cannabis extracts, the first work on the cannabis flower monograph for the DAB began as early as 2015. First, a monograph on cannabis flowers was published in May 2016 in the German Drug Codex (DAC). The monograph was replaced in May 2017 by the publication of the DAB monograph. A revised version of the DAB monograph has been in force since April 2018 as a national quality standard.A harmonised cannabis flower monograph for the European Pharmacopoeia is currently being prepared to replace national quality standards. In addition, the German Pharmacopoeia and subsequently the European Pharmacopoeia develops monographs for preparations from cannabis flowers. In future, harmonised monographs in the European Pharmacopoeia will make it possible to avoid multiple testing according to the respective national standards and to facilitate analyses in laboratories and pharmacies.