The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has added 17 new members during the third quarter, for a total of 45 new member companies joining in 2014— a 12% increase in membership this year.
 
 AHPA’s newest members represent diverse sectors of the botanical industry, including herbal ingredient suppliers, international retailers and contract manufacturers, product distributors, analytical laboratories, industry service providers and companies pioneering the burgeoning medicinal cannabis industry.
 
“AHPA members clearly understand the benefits of membership our organization and the need to work together,” said Michael McGuffin, AHPA president. “Those benefits include everything from networking, keeping abreast of current trends and events, to self-regulation, and advocacy on critical policy issues and education.”
 
The new AHPA members include:
·      Amway, one of the world’s largest direct selling businesses, offering consumer products and business opportunities that are supported by a global agribusiness, manufacturing and logistics supply chain;
·      Botanical Legal Defense dedicated to fighting over-reaching government criminalization of certain botanicals;
·      Brooke Law Group a general civil litigation law firm that has a growing specialty niche in California civil cannabis law, including business formation, contracts, cannabis related lawsuits and collective defense;
·      Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, a full-service law firm with a successful Food and Drug Administration practice;
·      Elite Bio Labs, a contract dietary supplements manufacturer; 
·      Five Flavor Herbs, manufacturing high-quality herbal products that blend western and Chinese traditions since 2007;
·      Grimaldi Law Offices providing high value, cost-effective litigation defense, compliance counseling and advocacy services for businesses of all sizes facing chemical and product regulatory challenges; 
·      Grow Emerging Companies LLC, a consulting firm providing a range of expertise in obtaining government funding for emerging and established firms nationwide;
·      Healthy Healing, a natural products industry pioneer whose philosophy is based on a natural, holistic method of healing helping  people feel better through self-help information, diet, exercise and natural supplements; Herb Lore International Inc.,  a parent company of Herb Lore Etheric Light Essentials that has created and manufactured all-organic and some bio-dynamic herbal products; 
·      Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, a nationally recognized law firm providing FDA-regulated companies with an integrated efficient approach to navigating federal and state laws;
·      Kiss Me Organics, an importer, wholesaler and retailer for organic herbal products;
·      Madsen Consultants, a Nevada-based analytical laboratory;  
·      Medical Marijuana Institute, founded in 2013 to educate, advocate for, and support the medical marijuana industry;
·      PlantaMex, a company incorporated in Mexico since 1982, specializing in the international trade of aromatic and medicinal plants, seeds, spices, and extracts;
·      PSC Distribution is the world’s premiere distributor of a novel line of embryonic plant extracts;
·      Stanley Brothers Social Enterprises Inc., licensed by the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture for commercial hemp and research and registering proprietary hemp strains with the state.