Maine cannabis regulators ink contract with track and trace vendor

FILE PHOTO / TIM GREENWAY Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy has signed a six-year contract for marijuana track and trace services with Metrc LLC.

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By Staff

Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy on Thursday said it has signed a contract with a new vendor to provide marijuana "track and trace" services after terminating an agreement with the original vendor in December.

The new recipient of the six-year, $540,000 deal is Florida-based Metrc LLC, which was the runner-up in the contract bidding. The company originally selected, BioTrackTHC, failed to deliver some early requirements of the contract, including a user portal that had been scheduled to launch in October.

Metrc provides a cloud-based software product that will utilize radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to track the growth and distribution of marijuana and marijuana products throughout Maine, according to a news release.

“Metrc is an industry leader, and their team is committed to delivering a product that will allow us to proceed with the launch of our adult use program later this spring,” OMP’s director, Erik Gundersen, said in the release.

The service will be deployed in Maine’s emerging adult use marijuana program. The state is just months away from legal adult use retail sales, a milestone expected to occur this spring. Following the launch of Metrc, OMP and Metrc will shift their focus to introducing the track and trace solution to Maine’s existing medical marijuana program.

Over the course of the next several months, OMP and Metrc will engage with industry stakeholders through several avenues to familiarize them with the new system. Starting in mid- to late March, regional road shows will be conducted throughout Maine to provide future adult use licensees with a high-level introduction to Metrc and a platform to have their questions and concerns addressed.

Following that, Metrc will offer online training and evaluations before issuing credentials to prospective licensees. Specific road show dates and venues will be announced as details are finalized in the coming weeks.

Metrc is headed by CEO Jeff Wells.

With the signed contract in place, Metrc will serve as the track and trace provider for 13 states and the District of Columbia, including regulatory trailblazers such as Colorado, Oregon and Alaska. Metrc is already utilized in New England, serving as the track and trace software for the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.

Adult use license holders will be responsible for a $40 monthly license fee to access Metrc’s online system. The fee also supports ongoing industry training and technical support. Plant tag and packaging label fees are 45 cents each and 25 cents each, respectively.

Additional information on the deployment of Metrc to Maine’s existing medical marijuana program and the obligations of registered caregivers and dispensaries will be announced at a later date.