While the Department of Health and Senior Services proceeds to issue seed-to-sale (s2s) certifications some folks are left wondering what that means for them. The good news is that patients and caregivers, for the most part, won’t need to worry about what this is or what it is for.
METRC was selected by the state to warehouse seed to sale data for state analysis. This data covers literally everything about a plant from the time the seed is germinated (or cutting is taken) to the time it is sold to a patient. Which room it is located in, how much flower is harvested, waste from harvests, transfers to manufacturers and retailers, and many more bits of data in between. The major strength of a system such as this as it goes a long way toward preventing diversion of cannabis into the illicit market. While it isn’t a perfect solution, it does help and it does provide a great deal of visibility to analysts.
Most facilities, especially dispensaries, will need more specialized software to deal with business needs. Cova point-of-sale systems are a good example. These POS systems integrate with scales and cash drawers, calculate taxes on purchases, track sales figures and inventory of non-cannabis items like pipes and rolling papers, and more. The state doesn’t need or want this additional information.
However, the state does want to ensure that point of sale systems like this can integrate with METRC in a secure manner that protects sensitive information while maintaining a high level of accuracy. The state also wants to ensure that these systems can be used to check on and track patient purchase limits and other information covered by regulations. This is the primary reason for the seed-to-sale software certifications that we are seeing.
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