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IMinnesota legalized medical cannabis in 2014 and subsequently launched its Medical Cannabis Program in 2015. The Office of Medical Cannabis, under Minnesota’s Department of Health, administers rules and regulations governing the state’s Medical Cannabis Program.
Metrc was selected as the medical marijuana tracking software in March, 2022. Licensed businesses will be required to report all cannabis growth, movement and sale through the state-mandated compliance software.
The Office of Medical Cannabis was created to regulate Minnesota’s medical-use cannabis operators. It oversees the cannabis industry in the state, including all growers, manufacturers, dispensaries, and testing laboratories.
The Office of Medical Cannabis sees Metrc compliance as crucial to having real-time access to all cannabis activity in Minnesota.
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.
Cannabis businesses in Minnesota must all undergo official Metrc training. Check out videos and sign up for training on Metrc’s 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.
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.
In Minnesota, 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.
Metrc headquarters is located in Lakeland, FL.
Metrc used to be owned by Franwell. However, it has now changed its official company name to Metrc LLC.
It’s critical that your company stays compliant with state regulations and the requirements to report to the Minnesota Metrc system. The following are the top 4 tips to stay compliant with Minnesota Metrc.
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.
Trym automates compliance with the Metrc system per Minnesota’s state 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. The Minnesota 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.
Minnesota Office of Medical Cannabis
https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/cannabis/
Phone: 651-201-5598 or 844-879-3381
Email: health.cannabis@state.mn.us
