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Metrc, can’t live with it, and your regulatory agency won’t let you live without it. Here’s how to make it easier.
Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance, known as “METRC,”
is an advanced cannabis regulatory system built to track cannabis from seed to sale. It is present and necessary in every component of the cannabis supply chain, relevant to anyone and everyone involved in the legal sale of cannabis.
Metrc was designed specifically for government agencies to regulate the cannabis industry, and to date, Metrc holds government contracts with 19 U.S. states and works with state regulators to provide data management and reporting services. Metrc provides transparency into the entire economic life cycle of cannabis, from cultivation to processing, manufacturing, distribution, transportation, and the final sale of the product. With it, government agencies can ensure cannabis companies are running a clean business and that no cash came from illicit marijuana sales.
Given that Metrc is the key to playing nice with regulatory agencies, proficiency with Metrc is a part of doing business in the legal cannabis industry. But with its counterintuitive data entry system and inflexible interface, it can be more of a necessary evil. Here are three tips that can help:
Tips #1: Start with a Plan
The key to making Metrc work for your organization starts with a principle familiar to most successful organizations, go in with a strategy. One of the biggest issues with Metrc is that one error can have a domino effect, causing issues further down the line and impacting other areas of the business that also use Metrc. Even the order information is entered into Metrc matters. For example, a mistake in entering information in the appropriate steps could result in a product not having a saleable SKU.
The second biggest issue is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to undo mistakes once data is incorrectly entered into Metrc. These first two issues combined create a high-risk system that could be responsible for greatly reducing the value you have.
Therefore, starting with a plan to manage the overall process of working with Metrc will certainly give you the upper hand and will help you avoid, or at least minimize, headaches down the road.
Tips #2: Identify Your In-House METRC Point Person
Another pillar commonly found in successful organizations is strong leadership. Similarly, creating a role within your organization for a specific person tasked with overseeing all things Metrc could prove to be crucial.
The Metrc platform is not an intuitive system, and is instead obtuse and a little opaque. In addition, it is not a system you want to “fiddle with” given the ripple effects that can result from even a minor mistake. While Metrc does provide a two-hour introductory training program, this hardly proves sufficient and is of no use once someone is using the system and runs into an issue. Therefore, a better approach would be to appoint one individual tasked with inputting information into Metrc.
This individual would need to be a detail-oriented person with a strong, global understanding of all the different departments and how the supply chain works in the organization overall. Thus, it follows that this person would need to have strong communication skills and be able to work well with other persons across different departments in order to acquire the information needed to enter into Metrc. Having a reliable, strong person managing Metrc for your organization will ensure all Metrc-based needs are met and maintained, thereby reducing the overall number of errors.
Tips #3: Establish the Flow of Information
The next step is to have a process for getting the necessary information from your staff to your Metrc point person so that they can input it into the system. The flow of information needs to be well documented in an easy to read, clear and concise format for a usable reference guide.
Everyone needs to be on the same page and have a clear understanding of their responsibilities when it comes to providing the Metrc point person with the information needed. This can involve a standardized spreadsheet, or, in high-level use, a QC form like the kind used by BeGreenLegal in its QMS System. The key is having something a form that is accessible, user-friendly, and easy to interpret.
Make Metrc even easier, and contact BeGreenLegal.
Having trouble with Metrc? BeGreenLegal has coaching and training services, and can even set up your internal systems so that they flawlessly sync with Metrc. BeGreenLegal can help you map out Metrc and set up SOPs that are easy to follow and can be monitored on a regular basis. BeGreenLegal even provides Gap Analysis services that help your organization understand how it is currently performing with Metrc, in comparison to what is expected, in order to help design a viable action plan that moves your organization forward.
For more information on how BeGreenLegal can ease your METRC frustrations, contact us today.
https://www.begreenlegal.com/contact-us/
