AHPA’s new members represent diverse sectors of the botanical industry

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has welcomed 15 companies as new members in 2014, with the new members including ingredient suppliers, contract manufacturers, finished products makers, and more.

Among the new members to the organization are companies pioneering the burgeoning medicinal cannabis industry, including CannaVest, Kannway and U-Med Center.

"AHPA is proud to represent these companies from the many different sectors of the herbal trade," said Michael McGuffin, President of AHPA. "The association's growing and diverse membership helps broaden AHPA's expertise and enables the association to effectively act as the voice of the herbal products industry."

The new members are:

•              Herbal ingredient suppliers: DMH Ingredients, Inc., Kaufman Metals and Midwest Herb Company
•              Contract manufacturers: Best Life PharmaNaturals, Deep Plus and Next Pharmaceuticals
•              Unique consumer product makers: Kuumba Made, Galen's Way and Teeter Creek Herbs
•              Industry service providers: DiMaggio Spierer, PLLC, Jacobs Compliance Services and Joy's Quality Management Systems,
•              Medicinal cannabis companies: CannaVest, Kannway and U-Med Center

Affiliates

The organization, which was founded in 1982, has also welcomed 13 "AHPA Affiliates" under a new, strategic partnership program designed to increase collaboration among organizations that promote the responsible commerce of herbal products and dietary supplements. The program brings together entities that perform functions and provide services to botanical and supplement companies and organizations.

The four types of AHPA Affiliates are standard setting organizations, educational institutions, professional associations, and citizen advocacy groups.

The first companies to become AHPA Affiliates are:
• American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM)
• Americans for Safe Access (ASA)
• American Herbalists Guild (AHG)
• American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP)
• Bastyr University
• Citizens for Health
• HPTLC Association
• Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH)
• National College of Natural Medicine
• University of Illinois at Chicago/NIH Botanical Center
• University of Massachusetts, Medicinal Plants Program
• University of Mississippi, National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR)
• U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP)