Any cannabis-based medical flower prescribed for inhalation must comply with the British (Br. Ph. Appendix XVI.D) and European Pharmacopoeia (Eu. Ph. 5.1.4) regulatory guidance on microbiological content. The guidance is designed to ensure that patients are not exposed to potentially harmful yeasts, moulds, or bacteria which can be naturally occurring on plants, particularly when grown in soil.
The British and European Pharmacopoeias outline quality standards for the pharmaceutical industry to control the quality of medicines, and the substances used to manufacture them. It is an official reference designed to serve public health and adhering to the guidance is a legal requirement in the UK.
If cannabis flower does not meet these standards for inhalation prior to manufacturing, it needs to undergo a process of decontamination. The most common method is irradiation. This has been shown in scientific studies to effectively reduce the presence of microbes on the surface of cannabis flowers. This process does not affect the major cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which are found within cannabis flowers.
If cannabis flower meets these standards prior to manufacturing into a medicine prescribed for inhalation then it would not necessarily have to undergo any decontamination, such as irradiation.
