METRC: maine
METRC maine
Initially, The Maine Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) awarded the track-and-trace contract to Biotrack in 2019. However, in February, 2020, the state Office of Marijuana Policy signed a six-year contract with Metrc to onboard support for the state’s Adult Use market.
Maine voters approved the recreational use, retail sale and taxation of marijuana in November 2016. During the 128th Legislature, a 17-member legislative committee was convened to overhaul the Marijuana Legalization Act (MLA) passed by voters. Following two legislative rewrites of the MLA and two gubernatorial vetoes, LD 1719 — An Act To Implement a Regulatory Structure for Adult Use Marijuana — became law on May 2, 2018.
The first active adult use establishment licenses — including the first cultivation licenses — were issued on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. For the purposes of the limited authorization for sale of marijuana plants and marijuana seeds by a registered caregiver or registered dispensary to a cultivation facility licensee, the date that is two years from that day is Thursday, September 8, 2022.
Maine METRC COMPLIANCE
Metrc is the program used statewide to record the inventory and movement of cannabis and cannabis products through the commercial cannabis supply chain.
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.
All licensed cannabis businesses are required to use Metrc for tracking and reporting the activity and movement of cannabis products through the cannabis supply chain. In order comply with Maine regulations, all cannabis cultivators must:
- Hold an active, annual license
- Register and complete Metrc training
- Order and receive Metrc tags
- Adhere to reporting requirements
One clarification we feel important to make: Metrc is not a compliance system. It’s simply a software tool that allows cannabis operators to report data to the state. This may seem like a small detail, but there are many actions that can be performed in Metrc that are not compliant with Maine state regulations.
METRC TRAINING IN Maine
Cannabis businesses in Maine must all undergo official Metrc training. Sign up for training on Metrc’s website by clicking on the ‘Training Signup’ button. You’ll need to enter your license number to register. In addition, Metrc will announce any in-person training via bulletins 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 maine METRC
In Maine, 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.
To read more about costs involved in Michigan Metrc and Metrc tags, see Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy’s bulletin.
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 Maine Metrc system. The following are the top 4 tips to stay compliant with Maine 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 Maine’s OMP 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 Maine 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.
OMP CONTACT INFO
Phone: (207) 287-3282
Email: Licensing or Compliance
