S3 Collective Announces Acceptance into FDA’s Network of Experts Program

In a press release (1) dated May 1, 2024, the S3 Collective, a nonprofit with the mission of “advancing the cannabis industry through collaboration, education, and standardization,” announced its acceptance into the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Network of Experts (NoE) program.

“Recently, we achieved one of our milestones,” stated David Vaillencourt in a May 23, 2024, LinkedIn post regarding the announcement (2). “The FDA officially accepted our non profit into their Network of Experts program. As the 132nd organization to be accepted, I am honored to be able to provide the agency with knowledge and resources it may need on all topics of cannabinoids and psychedelics. Life is about the journey not the destination, and this is but one important step towards a future where minimum standards ensure that all products containing cannabinoids have a level of safety and quality that patients deserve.”

Vaillencourt recently participated in a panel discussion, “Federal Rescheduling: Opinions and Impacts,” at the Cannabis Science Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, which provided a range of expert opinions on the recent potential rescheduling of cannabis to a Schedule III drug.

According to the FDA (3), the NoE origins began in 2012 and the program has continued to grow as “a vetted network of partner organizations and their member scientists, clinicians and engineers who can provide the FDA rapid access to expertise when it is needed to supplement existing knowledge and expertise within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).” The S3 news release added, “S3 Collective is the 132nd nonprofit organization and the first cannabis-related nonprofit to participate in this initiative.”

The FDA lists the following as requirements for an organization to be a part of the NoE (3):

• Be considered a traditional professional society or association (groups whose mission seeks to promote education and/or the public health)
• Have 501(c)(3) non-profit status
• The organization’s primary function should not be lobbying or sector promotion
• The organization’s activities should not present a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest with FDA’s public health mission

“S3 Collective is uniquely positioned to contribute to the NoE program as they engage a diverse array of scientists and technical experts that champion data-driven standards for consumer protection and contribute impartial information and data to the cannabis and hemp industries,” the S3 news release stated (1). “When a need arises, S3 Collective looks forward to connecting their technical experts with the FDA to give evidence-based insights on specific topics.”

The S3 Collective was founded in 2023 by David Vaillencourt, Vice-Chair of ASTM Committee D37 on Cannabis and founder of the GMP Collective, and Alexa Wilson, Director of the Design+Build Division at Omega Equipment & Supply (4). In January of this year, the S3 Collective held a webinar, “Rescheduling Cannabis: A Scientific Imperative,” which provided an explanation of the proposed scheduling, how and why to contribute to the federal framework of cannabis regulations, and the S3 Collective's anticipated approach, with the overall goal of creating a science-based submission to the DEA’s public comment period.

References

1. S3 Collective Joins FDA’s Network of Experts Program. S3 Collective. May 1, 2024. https://s3collective.org/blog/news-3/s3-collective-joins-fdas-network-of-experts-program-52 (accessed May 28, 2024).
2. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7199479708701347840/
3. US Food and Drug Administration, Network of Experts Program: Connecting the FDA with External Expertise https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-devices-and-radiological-health/network-experts-program-connecting-fda-external-expertise (accessed May 28, 2024).
4. S3 Collective, https://s3collective.org/about-us (accessed May 28, 2024).