METRC: colorado
METRC Colorado
The Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED), part of Colorado’s Department of Revenue, is responsible for overseeing the cannabis industry in Colorado.
Colorado was the first adult-use cannabis market in the United States, launching on January 1st, 2014.
Colorado METRC COMPLIANCE
MED was created to regulate Colorado’s adult-use cannabis operators. MED oversees the cannabis industry in the state, including all growers, manufacturers, and dispensaries. MED sees Metrc compliance as crucial to having real-time access to all cannabis activity in Colorado.
Seed to sale means tracking a marijuana plant, from its first planting, to its sale, when a consumer or patient purchases the marijuana products at a dispensary. The compliance statewide reporting system allows for full visibility and transparency, with the state’s primary goal to prevent illicit sale and movement of cannabis.
The compliance information that is reported to the state via the Metrc system includes seed or clone purchase, germination dates, planting and harvest dates, strains and batch numbers, harvest batch numbers, testing records, and the contact information of other cannabis business owners that you worked with.
METRC TRAINING IN Colorado
Cannabis businesses in Colorado must all undergo official Metrc training which can be accessed here. In addition, Metrc will announce any in-person training on a bulletin on their site.
3rd party consultancies like our friends at RMCC (Rocky Mountain Cannabis Consulting ) provide Metrc training, compliance audit and general Metrc support to the cannabis industry across the US. Considering how sparse Metrc’s library of videos/articles is, it may be a good idea to seek supplemental training and assistance elsewhere.
WHAT IS METRC?
Metrc (Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting & Compliance), founded in 2013, is contracted by states with medical cannabis and adult-use cannabis regulations to provide track-and-trace compliance software. These states have the requirement to track cannabis product from cultivation all the way to the end customer or patient.
The statewide monitoring system ensures compliance data is collected for all cannabis plant and cannabis product movement. Metrc uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and serialized item tracking.
The company behind Metrc has decades of experience building RFID technology in industries like food and pharmaceuticals, where regulatory compliance is a priority . Each state with cannabis regulations has accepted proposals from software vendors to provide traceability software. Metrc is one of several software vendors that provide governments a centralized software system from which they can get real time data on cannabis activity that’s entered into Metrc via RFID tags.
COSTS INVOLVED IN Colorado METRC
In Colorado, all licensees must pay a $40 monthly support fee. This covers Metrc support and training. Licensees must also purchase the tags for their plants and marijuana products. Cannabis plant tags are $0.45 per tag while package tags are $0.25 per tag.
WHERE IS METRC LOCATED?
Metrc headquarters is located in Lakeland, FL.
WHO OWNS METRC SOFTWARE?
Metrc used to be owned by Franwell. However, it has now changed its official company name to Metrc LLC.
TOP 4 TIPS TO STAY COMPLIANT
It’s critical that your company stays compliant with state regulations and the requirements to report to the Colorado Metrc system. The following are the top 4 tips to stay compliant with Colorado Metrc.
- Perform regular inventory management + reconciliation
- Train yourself and others on your team
- Create a culture of compliance
- Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
While there are 3rd party resources out there to help ease the learning curve, always consult with Metrc state regulators for the most up to date and accurate information.
HOW SOFTWARE CAN HELP
Trym automates compliance with the Metrc system per Colorado’s MED requirements. While some smaller cannabis businesses choose to enter information by hand or upload spreadsheets into Metrc, others enlist the help of a 3rd party seed to sale software company, like Trym.
Automation centralizes data in an organization and encourages productivity and increases efficiency. Trym connects to the state system via Metrc API. Our Colorado Metrc integration streamlines reporting data to Metrc and to the state.
Instead of inputting data into Metrc, cultivators also use Trym for its simplicity and usability. The added value from business management tools like task management and crop steering increases yields and improves team efficiency. Digital scales like Ohaus integrate seamlessly into Trym to make harvesting marijuana flower a breeze.
MED CONTACT INFO
Please submit inquiries to the following email address – your question will then be forward to the appropriate MED unit for response: dor_medinquiry@state.co.us
MED Office Locations:
Lakewood Office
1707 Cole Blvd., Suite 300
Lakewood, CO 80401
303-866-3330
Colorado Springs/Southern Regional Office
1030 South Academy Blvd., Suite 200
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
719-570-5622
Longmont/Northern Regional Office
275 South Main Street, Suite 101
Longmont, CO 80501
303-866-2274
Grand Junction/Western Slope Regional Office
632 Market Street, Suite G3
Grand Junction, CO 81505
970-248-7181
