METRC: Montana

METRC Montana

Metrc won the medical marijuana tracking software contract in 2018. In August 2018, With Massachusetts’ passing of adult-use legislation, Metrc Massachusetts began supporting the additional group of adult-use and retail licenses.

The licensing system in Montana went through significant legislative changes in 2020 and most recently in 2021, when Montana Legislature passed House Bill 701, establishing a new adult use program.

Montana METRC COMPLIANCE

CCD was created to regulate Montana’s cannabis operators. CCD oversees the cannabis industry in the state, including all growers, manufacturers, and dispensaries. CCD sees Metrc compliance as crucial to having real-time access to all cannabis activity in Montana.

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 Massachusetts 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 montana

Cannabis businesses in Montana 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 Montana METRC

In Montana, 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 Montana Metrc system. The following are the top 4 tips to stay compliant with Massachusetts 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 Montana’s CCD 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 Montana 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.