A medical dispensary owner applying for a cannabis retail license is only half the battle. California cannabis sales hit $4.4 billion in 2020, which is 57% higher than in 2019. The California Department of Cannabis Control has new rules to allow sharing of product samples and broader merchandise sales. People should stay competitive by complying with state law.
What is Metrc?
Metrc stands for Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance. Owners should report to their governing body to run a successful cannabis retail dispensary. Under dispensary law, Metrc is a cannabis track and trace reporting system that the state government uses to monitor commercial cannabis. The software manufacturer Franwell first created Metrc for Colorado. Metrc is in most states that have a cannabis market. It’s only a reporting tool, so owners should find another POS and inventory management system.
When can owners start working with Metrc?
All California cannabis retailers with an annual license need to use the CCTT-Metrc system. The state asks that potential licenses have a designated Metrc account manager to complete Metrc training during the application process. Completion of all training is necessary before using the Metrc system. The Metrc system is usable as soon as people receive their license, username and password. The costs of the CCTT-Metrc UID tags for the inventory are in the annual license fee.
How do owners report in Metrc?
After setting up their account in Metrc, an owner can enter their daily track and trace reports. The cannabis retail dispensary can manually report all transactions and activities every day. Manual reporting is time-consuming and has a higher risk of incorrectly recording information. The retail-specific cannabis dispensary software can integrate with Metrc to automatically sync reportable data. The system can record the retail store’s transactions and activities in real-time.
Sometimes the system is down, or the company loses internet service. Under dispensary law, the owner should upload all reportable information within three days of internet restoration. Owners should record the necessary data while the Metrc system is offline. California cannabis laws are well-established but change as new developments occur.