METRC: New jersey

METRC NEW JERSEY

In 2010, governor Jon Corzine signed the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, permitting the use of medical cannabis for persons with listed conditions. Access to cannabis was extremely limited until 2018-2019 when legislation was amended to expand prerequisites and number of providers.

At this time, the state legislature tried to legalize cannabis, but was unsuccessful. Instead, the legislature placed the issue before the voters as a referendum on the 2020 ballot. Legislation was passed in December 2020 creating a recreational marketplace.

Finally, in August 2021, New Jersey fully legalized cannabis with the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act.

Metrc was selected as the medical marijuana tracking software in 2022. Licensed businesses will be required to report all cannabis growth, movement and sale through the state-mandated compliance software.

NEW JERSEY METRC COMPLIANCE

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) was created to regulate New Jersey’s adult-use cannabis operators. The NJ-CRC oversees the cannabis industry in the state, including all growers, manufacturers, dispensaries, and testing laboratories.

The NJ-CRC sees Metrc compliance as crucial to having real-time access to all cannabis activity in Michigan.

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 NEW JERSEY

Cannabis businesses in New Jersey 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.

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 New Jersey METRC

In New Jersey, 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 New Jersey Metrc system. The following are the top 4 tips to stay compliant with New Jersey 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 NJ-CRC 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 New Jersey 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.