How Cannabis POS Systems Are Educating California Dispensaries on Metrc Reporting

More and more marijuana retailers and dispensaries are obtaining their annual or provisional cannabis license in California. Once they receive their license, the countdown begins for them to begin reporting sales and inventory to the California Cannabis Track-and-Trace (CCTT) system using the state selected Metrc track-and-trace software. Dispensary managers must complete the mandatory Metrc training course before they receive their license, however there is an additional learning curve when linking cannabis POS systems to automate monthly reporting.

BCC Suspends Cannabis Licenses

Earlier this month, the California Bureau of Cannabis Control suspended the license of 407 cannabis businesses due to their failure to report within 30 days of receiving their license. While the BCC hoped that the majority of the 2,630 licensed operators would have been setup by the late October/early November, many were unable to do so and are now unable to make sales while attempting to remedy the issue.

The BCC has the duty to enforce reporting violations, but licensed California dispensaries are still struggling to compete with the black market prices. Communications director of the CCIA, Josh Drayton addressed the suspensions saying, “We’re kind of incentivizing the illicit market, which is a much more affordable option right now for consumers. What we really need to be focused on is access and affordability.”

Annual and Provisional License

Currently there are two types of licenses that are required to report to the state, annual license holders and provisional license holders. Provisional licenses were issued to temporary license holders that wouldn’t have received their annual license before the temporary license expired. California dispensaries use the license number to access their Metrc login credentials, but must then connect their POS system.

What the BCC is missing is that many of the licensees have existing inventory that has to be migrated into the system and cannabis POS systems have been picking up the slack training dispensaries how to set up automated reporting. This process takes time and 30 days seems much shorter when making such a big transition.

Automated Compliance Reports

Automating state reporting is key to the success of all California cannabis businesses. Not only does it allow dispensary employees to focus on sales and service, but it also eliminates the chance of human errors common in manual reports. Even the smallest discrepancy in sales or inventory reports could initiate a license suspension or incur costly violation fees.

This is why it’s so important to evaluate several cannabis POS systems to ensure that your California dispensary uses software that will fully manage your reporting to Metrc. Finding a provider that can also offer detailed support during those critical 30 days is imperative to making a smooth transition into state reporting.

Online Metrc Webinars

In order to adequately educate California cannabis retailers on how to initiate automated compliance reporting, point-of-sale support teams are designating Metrc specialists who can walk dispensary managers through the entire process. IndicaOnline is hosting an online Metrc webinar every Wednesday so that multiple California dispensaries can learn how to sync sales and inventory.

California cannabis businesses can also take advantage of our other Metrc resources such as our downloadable Metrc Setup Guide, help desk support articles, or even call our customer support agents directly. All dispensaries interested in participating in the online webinar should reserve a spot and come prepared with any specific questions.