In November of 2020, the State of Oklahoma awarded its cannabis-tracing contract to Metrc. This followed legalization of medical marijuana in 2018. The medical cannabis industry has been off to a great start in its early days in Oklahoma, with more than 300,000 patients and nearly 10,000 licenses issued.

Now those license holders face an April 30 deadline for Metrc compliance, and that means adjusting to new ways of doing things.

If you’re not yet familiar with Metrc, it is now the compliance standard in at least 15 states. So it was no surprise that the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) made that choice. What might come as a surprise are some of the changes licensed dispensaries will need to make. Here’s a quick glossary:

Metrc: Metrc stands for Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance. It’s dedicated to real-time, seed-to-sale tracking of plants and products, both in the transit from supplier to seller and at the dispensary level.

UID: UID (unique identifier), also widely used in the defense industry, is the basis of tracking in the Metrc compliance system. Every plant and package must have a UID (more commonly referred to as Metrc Tags)

RFID: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are used in many industries to manage inventory and for other purposes. Used with a compatible device, RFID tags allow tracking without line of sight to the item, making them much more practical than barcodes or QR codes. Tags must be purchased from Metrc and can’t be reused. Order them early, and be sure not to run out.

Training: Dispensaries must register for Metrc training. Only after training is completed will Metrc issue the API (Application Programming Interface) key you’ll need.

Cost: Licensees will pay $40 per month for access to the Metrc platform, which includes ongoing support and training.

There are two important things to note:

  • First, none of this is optional. Metrc compliance is now the standard and the law of the land for Oklahoma dispensaries.
  • Second, it’s vital that the dispensary/POS software you choose is Metrc compliant. And beyond compliance, consider a platform that addresses all the needs of a dispensary instead of trying to get multiple software platforms to work together.

We developed Brytemap GreenR™ from the ground up for Metrc compliance and total integration of dispensary operations from inventory to POS to loyalty programs. If you have questions about Metrc compliance for your dispensary, we’re here to help.

Brytemap produces a full suite of seed-to-sale software products for growers and dispensaries in the cannabis industry. To learn more, request a demo.

 

Leave a Reply