The track-and-trace software Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance (Metrc) is one of the most popular options for states to monitor cannabis plants from seed to sale. It currently serves a handful of regions in the U.S., including 22 states (including 2 separate contracts in Colorado), as well as the District of Columbia and Guam.

On Feb 21, Metrc announced that it has officially agreed on a new contract with the state of Kentucky. Citing Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s signing of Senate Bill 47 in March 2023, which is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, the state is currently working on establishing its regulatory framework in anticipation of that deadline. “Tasked with developing and implementing regulations for the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services aims to ensure Kentuckians suffering from serious medical conditions have safe, affordable access to medical cannabis, achieved via a commitment to evidence-based practices, transparency, outreach and education,” Metrc explained in a press release.

Metrc CEO Michael Johnson expressed his pride in Metrc being used in Kentucky. “As Kentucky works to establish its medical cannabis market, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to launch the state’s first-ever track-and-trace program,” Johnson said. “Our team at Metrc looks forward to working alongside the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to build a regulatory framework that will create a marketplace with the strongest foundation, where patients are guaranteed safe consumption and licensees are provided an environment to thrive.”

The service records all information about legal plants, such as “origin, testing results, handling, and chain-of-custody” using an RFID tag. The information can be accessed by state regulators but is also beneficial to dispensary operators to help manage their inventory, and track sales and cultivation data.

Metrc noted that it has a “particular presence in the South” part of the U.S., including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, and now Kentucky, which marks its 25th government contract. According to the Metrc website, the company states that its “Total events logged in Metrc” is currently at 5,622,330,903, and its total value of sales monitored equates to $31,230,700,515.

The initial passage of the medical cannabis bill in Kentucky in March 2023 allows patients suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder. “Kentuckians with qualified medical conditions can continue to seek relief with medical cannabis by going out of state and following all those conditions that you need to carefully read in the executive order,” Beshear said in March after passing SB-47. “All Kentuckians with qualifying medical conditions deserve a chance at a brighter, pain-free future, without ever having to turn to opioids. We know what those did to our state.”

Last October, Beshear provided an update on the state’s medical cannabis program. “We have established the Medical Cannabis Program, which is the office that is going to do this work, as part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services,” said Beshear. “The office is preparing to communicate the implementation of this law with a new website that went live today. So, moving forward, you can get updates on the implementation through kymedcan.ky.gov.”

SB-47 also calls for the creation of the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Workgroup, the purpose of which is to study medical cannabis policy, and is composed of government representatives, as well as individuals from law enforcement, agricultural, and healthcare backgrounds.

One of the last updates from Beshear was in January, when he stated that the law was made to provide “relief to Kentuckians with severe medical conditions,” and should be expanded upon to include more conditions. He mentioned an additional list of conditions that should also qualify, including ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkison’s disease, Crohn’s disease, sickle cell anemia, cachexia (wasting syndrome), neuropathies, severe arthritis, hepatitis C, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma, and terminal illnesses. “This is a crucial set,” Beshear explained. “While the legislation referenced several qualifying conditions, it left others out.”

Medical cannabis isn’t the only focus in Kentucky, as some legislators are continuing to push for adult-use. Rep. Nima Kulkarni introduced adult-use legislation in January 2023 which would have allowed voters to approve cannabis use, possession, and home cultivation. “For decades, the failed and irrational War on Drugs has ensured that we have arrested, prosecuted and jailed millions of Americans for low level nonviolent drug offenses,” Kulkarni said at the time. “We have the chance to move forward in a way that makes sure that Kentuckains struggling with pain, with trauma, with opioid addiction, are able to access cannabis without fear of jail or a criminal record.”

In January 2024, Kulkarni introduced House Bill 72, which would legalize adult-use cannabis and allow cannabis use, possession and home cultivation, but not sales. As of Feb 23, there have been no further updates for this bill.

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An audit on the Massachusetts cannabis industry recently revealed that the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) allowed millions in possibly unsafe cannabis products to be sold to consumers.

The audit report was published on Sept. 26 by state auditor Diana DiZoglio, with the goal of finding if the CCC was following state regulations for recreational cannabis products. The results included data from between Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2020, the report stated that $10,192,986 in cannabis products were sold to consumers. Many of the products were sold over one year after they were lab tested, well after the products were considered to be expired and would need to be retested for safety purposes.

Three primary findings were recorded in the audit summary: First, that the CCC “did not identify all products considered expired and prevent their sale to consumers before they were retested. Second, that it “did not ensure that marijuana establishments (MEs) and independent testing laboratories (ITLs) properly reported marijuana products that tested positive for pesticides.” And finally, the audit revealed that its employees haven’t received cyber security awareness training.

State law requires labs to report positive pesticide results within 72 hours, but the report explained that the CCC did not follow this rule. In one isolated example, one independent testing facility did not notify the CCC of a positive test result at all.

In a press release, the office of the state auditor recommended that the CCC “improve its processes and procedures, and based on their response to our audit, the CCC is taking appropriate measures to address the concerns noted in this area.”

A statement from DiZoglio explained that the CCC is already making plans for improvement. “According to the Commission’s responses, based on our audit findings, they are taking steps to implement changes and improve policies and procedures to reflect most of our recommendations,” DiZoglio said. “I appreciate the willingness to comply with our audit team and will be following up in the near future.”

Recently, CCC chairwoman Shannon O’Brien announced in July that executive director Shawn Collins would be stepping down from his position to take parental leave. O’Brien described the move as putting the CCC “in crisis.” She later apologized for the “angst” or “confusion” in her original statement.

Collins is the only CCC executive director that has been appointed so far. However, as of September, he confirmed that he has no “definitive plans” to leave. “I remain the executive director as of today,” he told the 22 News earlier in September. “It’s certainly a job that I enjoy quite a bit. It’s a very stimulating job, a lot of novel issues, the issues continue to evolve on a pretty regular basis. So something I still get a lot of energy from.”

For now, he is planning to continue in his role. “So I don’t know what the future holds for me, certainly, but I’m looking forward to clocking in on a daily basis and continuing to do the work alongside the folks that are here at the agency,” Collins said. “So that status hasn’t changed. I remain the executive director and have not resigned.”

When interviewed about leaving the CCC by the end of 2023, he commented that a succession plan for the CCC is necessary. “That would be something I’d want to talk about with the commission as a whole. Again, I think making sure there’s a plan in place for that succession is important. It’s something that commissioners have raised in public meetings throughout the last year,” Collins added. “At this point, there is no concrete plan for the end of the year.”

Massachusetts voters approved recreational cannabis in November 2016 with Question 4, and legal cultivation and possession began in December 2016. Sales took a bit longer to develop, and finally began in November 2018. Since then, cumulative cannabis sales have risen overall, as seen in the most recent sales data. As of Sept. 6, the CCC stated that Massachusetts has collected more than $5 million in gross cannabis sales. “Massachusetts continues to hit record sales even as other states have come online. In fact, our neighboring states Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut also had record sales this summer,” said Collins. “Demand for tested, quality cannabis products remains strong in the region, and consumers shopping in other states have not impacted Massachusetts’ success.”

According to Metrc, Massachusetts is home to “317 retailers, nine delivery couriers, eight delivery operators, [and] one microbusiness.” As of January this year, the CCC has approved licenses for 53 retail stores and four delivery operators.

Over the past five years, 16 cannabis companies either surrendered their licenses, let them expire, or had them revoked. “I would say, from a competitive standpoint, I would expect that to happen. It happens in all industries,” Collins said. “Is there a saturation point in certain areas of Massachusetts versus the entire commonwealth? Product competition and competition for shelf space. You know, at first it was, ‘what can I get my hands on?’ and now you’re starting to see some brands emerge.”

As of September 14, O’Brien was suddenly suspended from her role as CCC chair, having occupied the position for slightly more than a year. The decision was made by Massachusetts state treasurer Deborah Goldberg, but a reason has not yet been provided to news sources.

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The newly established recreational cannabis industry in Guam is taking shape, slowly but surely.

Pacific Daily News reported this week that government regulators in the United States territory have approved 11 so-called “responsible officials” to participate in the recreational pot market, but the Department of Revenue and Taxation says that “no one has taken the next step of applying for a cannabis establishment license.” 

Earning that designation is a crucial step toward landing a license, however.

Jeff Wells, the chief executive officer of Metrc—the seed-to-sale tracking system Guam is using—said last year that the company was “excited to rise to the challenge of this unique regulatory opportunity.”

“Metrc is thrilled to partner with the Department of Public Health and Social Services as Guam builds its medical marijuana market. We look forward to working with both regulators and licensed business owners to implement the island’s first regulatory track-and-trace program. We are proud to play a leading role in ensuring the safety and security of the nation’s legal cannabis market,” Wells said at the time.

Guam legalized recreational cannabis back in 2019 with the Guam Cannabis Industries Act.

The measure “legalizes the personal possession of marijuana by adults, and establishes regulations governing the plant’s commercial production and retail sale,” according to NORML.

“The law permits those age 21 or older to legally possess and transfer up to one ounce of marijuana flower and/or eight grams of concentrated cannabis. The measure, which took immediate effect, also permits adults to privately cultivate up to six cannabis plants (no more than three mature) in an ‘enclosed, locked space.’ Public consumption of cannabis will remain a violation of law,” NORML explained after the measure was approved. “The Act creates a new regulatory board to draft rules governing the plant’s commercial production and retail sale. The board has a one-year timeline to adopt rules necessary to permit for the operation of licensed cannabis establishments.”

Guam’s Cannabis Control Board gave the greenlight to two more “responsible officials” on Monday, according to Pacific Daily News. The regulator had already given the go-ahead to nine other individuals who earned the designation. 

Those individuals were “briefed about the next steps during a Nov. 17 meeting and were given the application forms required to open a cannabis establishment,” Pacific Daily News reported.

“They have it, they’re working on their packet, but none of them actually submitted to the office for review or consideration at this time,” Craig Camacho, a compliance supervisor for the Department of Revenue and Taxation, told the Cannabis Control Board, as quoted by Pacific Daily News.

Guam’s governor, Lou Leon Guerrero, announced late last year that the island had “executed a contract with Metrc, an experienced provider of cannabis regulatory systems in the United States.”

“Over the last decade, we have seen substantial evidence that cannabis has medicinal benefits. With the final review by our Cannabis Control Board on the rules and regulations for the industry, we can more efficiently control recreational use and ensure safe and regulated products,” Guerrero said in a statement at the time. “The cannabis industry will benefit our community by funding expanded public services in health and public safety, and providing alternative treatment and rehabilitation for people who need it.” 

Guam lieutenant governor Josh Tenorio said that as “an island territory and tourism hotspot, Guam’s cannabis market faces unique challenges when it comes to regulation and oversight.”

“We are excited for this historic partnership between DPHSS and Metrc, which will assist our government in executing the secure and responsible implementation of our cannabis industry on Guam, and further provide us with the tools we need to ensure our success,” Tenorio said.

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