The impact that widespread legalization for marijuana is having can be hard to quantify, at first. As the United States moves forward with embracing legal cannabis, there are going to be major changes in every corner of the country. California will be leading the charge as one of the most important states in setting the tone for how legalization will be handled on a large scale. With that being said, it won’t be easy for everyone. Dispensaries have to maintain incredibly high standards while adapting to new legislation and new regulation. Today, we are going to discuss something very important for dispensaries: something like Part 2 of 3: What Track and Trace implementation will look like for California dispensaries. Let’s talk a little bit about Track & Trace and how dispensaries can prepare for this new system.
Track & Trace: Preparing for New Dispensary Regulations
Right now, it is important to understand that cannabis is still an illegal, federally regulated drug within the United States of America. Why is that important for dispensaries in California? It means that the sale of all cannabis needs to be meticulously tracked at the state level so as to comply with important regulation. Cannabis dispensaries are in charge of following every legal precedent involved in the process. This naturally means that adhering to Track & Trace (CCTT) is of the utmost priority.
Track & Trace is a system being adopted by the state of California at the dispensary level. Essentially, CCTT demands that each dispensary be able to record every transaction and every movement of their inventory of cannabis products. From strain types to amounts, the CCTT system will allow California to carefully monitor every single sale that is made. The goal here is to prevent potential criminal abuse of the purchasing and dispensing of cannabis. As cannabis is still federally illegal, it is of the utmost importance that no out-of-state buyers abuse California’s laws.
In order for dispensaries to have success with the CCTT system, there is going to have to be a concerted effort to embrace the new regulation. The new CCTT regulation will be applied to dispensaries who grab their permanent license, after which they will receive their Metrc credentials. Metrc credentials will be detailing the required training schedules that have to be followed in order for all employees to adhere to the new standards. Owners of dispensaries will be in charge of making sure that their employees attend and pass these tests so that their dispensary maintains a level of integrity that is acceptable by California’s new standards.
In order to really embrace this new legislation, dispensaries are going to have to ensure that they have a solid roster of employees at their location as well as the technology necessary to comply with these rules. Businesses are turning to more digital software in order to record information while maintaining high standards with their business. While this won’t be an easy task for most businesses, it is an important one.