Advisory Board for Methodology and Quality Assurance in the Cannabis Industry
The German Cannabis Business Association [BvCW] has established an advisory board for methodology and quality assurance in the cannabis industry in a first round of appointments. The aim of the quality advisory board is to provide expert support for the work of the industry association. Overall, the BvCW would like to broaden knowledge about cannabis in Germany on a scientific basis, establish sensibly regulated market conditions and promote cooperation between politics, science, business and society.
The members of the Cannabis Industry Quality Advisory Board:
Dr. Stefan Meyer
Quality Representative ・ Coordinator of the Quality Advisory Board
Dr. rer. nat. Stefan Meyer completed his doctorate in Applied Analytics and Environmental Chemistry at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He is a founding member and President of the BvCW and Managing Director of Neo-Livia GmbH, Neo-Trade-GmbH and Neo-Cosmetics. His focus is on the extraction of phytochemicals, including cannabinoid extraction, as well as the development and production of natural cosmetics and food supplements. He has many years of experience in the fields of natural product chemistry, project development, strategic planning, quality assurance, audits, lobbying and process optimization.
Dr. Antonella Cellini-Wagner
Pharmacist ・ Head of Quality Control / Qualified Person ・ Canopy Growth Germany GmbH
Dr. Antonella Cellini-Wagner studied pharmacy at the Ludwig-Maximillians-University in Munich. She completed her practical year in the quality control department of a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Berlin and in a public pharmacy in Munich. After obtaining her license to practice medicine, she completed her doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in basic cardiovascular research on heart failure. She then worked in the quality control department of a phytopharmaceutical manufacturer and in quality assurance. She has been working for Canopy Growth Germany GmbH since 2021, including as Head of Quality Control (2022) and Qualified Person § 14 AMG (2023). In her work, she deals with all aspects of quality assurance and quality control of medicinal cannabis as well as regulatory issues. In addition, she has been responsible for the certification and market release of medicinal cannabis as a Qualified Person since March 2023.
Adrian Pohl
Pharmacist ・ focus on cannabis analysis ・ QSI GmbH Bremen
Adrian Pohl obtained his license to practice as a pharmacist at the University of Hamburg in 2020 and has already worked on various projects in the fields of analytics, clinical pharmacy and psychiatry at the Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Hamburg. He spent his practical year at the Agaplesion Diakonieklinikum Rotenburg in the areas of medication management, narcotics, cytostatics production and analytics, among others.
Through all these different influences, he recognized early on that cannabinoid-based therapy offers people with a wide variety of illnesses an effective alternative to traditional pharmacotherapy with few side effects. Since the main focus of his work has always been on analytics, he made the transition from a clinical to a purely laboratory-analytical environment with a focus on medicinal cannabis. He has been working for QSI GmbH in Bremen since 2021.
Dr. Mehdi Rosefid
Sales specialist ・ Entrepreneur ・ Management consultant in the medical/healthcare sector, Berlin
Dr. Mehdi Rosefid was born in Iran and came to Germany in 1979 due to the unstable situation in his home country. After studying German in Berlin, he attended the Studienkolleg in Hanover and obtained his German university entrance qualification in 1981. He studied chemistry at the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg and graduated from the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry at the Free University of Berlin. After completing his doctoral thesis on “Inorganic Polymers”, he worked for six years as a research assistant and lecturer at the FU Berlin. This was followed by around two years as a pharmaceutical consultant in the Synticated Pediatric Field Service of Innovex, Mannheim. He then moved to Sporlastic Osthopaedics in Nürtingen, a recognized manufacturer of supports and orthoses. He has worked there in various functions since 1997. Since 1913, he has been Head of the Medical Department and Regional Sales Manager for Berlin / Brandenburg and the new federal states. Since 2015, he has been supporting a wide range of companies in the medical and healthcare sector, doctors and therapists in their professional positioning under the umbrella brand Dr. Rosefid Group. Among other things, he advises on the optimization of business processes and on questions of location and personnel planning. He has been running the Dr. Rosefid Academy since 2019. The aim of the academy is to connect people and realize innovative ideas. The training and courses offered by the academy focus on orthopaedics, aesthetics, current health issues and practice management. In his more than 25 years of professional experience, Mehdi Rosefid has initiated and implemented numerous innovative projects with various stakeholders. His motto, which he is committed to, is that the world of medicine constantly needs new impetus to promote people’s physical and mental health.
Maren Thomassek
Graduate biologist ・ Many years of experience in food quality management ・ Organic farmer
Maren Thomassek can look back on 30 years of quality assurance in the food industry, the IFS (International Food Standard) and its further development were constant companions. Born as a farmer’s child in Schleswig-Holstein, she completed a degree in biology in Düsseldorf, broke off her scholarship-supported doctorate at her own request and returned home. Since then, she has worked in three companies in food quality assurance. Since 2019, she has gradually taken back her parents’ farmland and established hemp cultivation in her district. The affiliated small business Dithmarschenhanf sells regional hemp products on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein.
Elias Galantay
Consultant
Elias Galantay was one of the first cannabis producers to successfully obtain a cultivation license in Alaska, where he set up one of the larger cannabis cultivation operations under U.S. compliance standards. In recent years, he has worked as a consultant in the industry, helping various producers set up and optimize their operations and guide them through the complex licensing and certification processes. As co-founder of Cannavigia, he is responsible for the conceptualization of the cultivation module and leads the consulting division. His focus is on the fulfillment of regulatory compliance requirements. He is a member of the board of IG Hemp Switzerland.