The Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC) in West Virginia has selected Metrc as their new seed-to-sale tracking provider for the state of West Virginia’s medical cannabis industry. OMC Director, Jason Frame, said that this is an important step to provide patients safe access to medical cannabis. While the COVID-19 Pandemic has devastated many other industries across the country, the OMC says that it has not stopped them from continuing to lay the groundwork for a safe and regulated medical cannabis industry. West Virginia’s partnership with Metrc will allow for regulatory oversight and enforcement of growers, processors, distributors, and dispensaries.
History of Medical Cannabis in West Virginia
Recreational and medical cannabis use has faced opposition in West Virginia for years. In April 2017, the Medical Cannabis Act was created to allow West Virginia patients safe access to medical cannabis. To date, medical cannabis has still not been available to patients in West Virginia.
Out of 39 applicants, ten growers were awarded permits to cultivate medical cannabis in West Virginia. The OMC has already begun seeking applications for physicians to join the West Virginia Cannabis Program. The next step is to start evaluating applicants to begin dispensing medical cannabis to qualified patients.
What is Metrc?
Metrc is the regulatory cannabis system that’s trusted in more states than any other. This system provides transparency in the supply chain by tracking and recording events, in real time. With the use of Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, data can automatically be recorded and stored. This data is then instantly uploaded into Metrc’s system to be reported to the appropriate regulatory authorities.
Once data is uploaded into Metrc, it cannot be changed. Because Metrc is the single point of truth, all information entered into the system needs to be 100% accurate. Errors or inaccuracies reported in the system can result in hefty fines and penalties. In order to prevent this, it’s important to ensure all employees in your facility are properly trained to use Metrc.
West Virginia is the latest state to sign on with Metrc. Just last month, Missouri announced its partnership with Metrc. This is great news for the legal cannabis industry as traction among individual states is increasing. Proper handling and record keeping is essential to quality control and safety in the cannabis industry.
How Do I Get My Business Integrated With Metrc?
With a target roll out date of Spring 2021, there is a lot of work to be done to get medical cannabis in the hands of patients in need. Don’t wait until the last minute, getting your cannabis business fully integrated with Metrc doesn’t happen overnight.
While Metrc is new to the state of West Virginia, the experts at Existo are very familiar with the ins and outs of this system. Existo is the most validated Metrc integrator in the United States. We have assisted all facility types, ranging from growers to dispensaries, make the transition to Metrc an easy one. Our experts will create a Metrc compliance program customized to fit your business and provide assistance along the way as requirements frequently change.
Contact us today to get your West Virginia cannabis business integrated with Metrc.
