Getting to Know Metrc in Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s Office of Cannabis Regulation (OCR) is responsible for the licensing and regulation of all commercial cannabis activity across the state. As of November 1, 2022, Metrc officially went live in Rhode Island. It’s now a mandatory requirement for all licensees and applies to all cannabis products being cultivates, manufactured, transported, tested or sold.

An early adopter, the state legalized medical marijuana in 2006 via the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act. Far more recently, May of 2022 saw the Rhode Island Cannabis Act signed. As of December 2022, this allows for the personal use and licensed sale of cannabis to adults across the state.
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Is Metrc required for all cannabis businesses in Rhode Island?

The OCR requires that all cannabis businesses be registered and using Metrc’s track and trace system. This applies to all medical marijuana commercial licensees including:

Cultivators

Manufacturers

Distributors and Transporters

Microbusinesses

Retailers and Non-Retail storefronts

Labs and more

If you’re not already using Metrc, you’ll find a list of helpful resources below that can get you started. Once you’re licensed and up and running, take a look at our Seed to Sale software to see how you can streamline your operations and simplify the entire process, saving you time and money.

Why does Rhode Island require Metrc tracking?

Metrc is the most prevalent track and trace system in the cannabis industry. It helps both businesses and state regulators track products, improve compliance and discourage improper market behaviors. The main goals of implementing Metrc in Louisiana are to:

Help minimize diversion to the illicit market.

Tighten security of regulated cannabis markets.

Simplify product recall.

Document chain of custody.

Ensure proper tax revenue accounting.

Ease inspection, auditing, and reporting burdens

What is Metrc, exactly?

Metrc is now the leading track-and-trace solution in the cannabis industry. Established in 2011 in Colorado, the system provides state regulators with a traceable history of every single cannabis-based product sold in their jurisdiction—from cultivation and production to transportation and the final retail sale.

Since it’s required as part of virtually everything you do, Metrc will sit at the core of your daily operations. Staying compliant is a complex and critical part of operating a cannabis business in Louisiana.

In case you’re wondering where the name came from, Metrc is an acronym for Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance.
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What Are Metrc Tags?

A major part of seed to sale tracking is Radio Identifications Tags (RFID tags). These tags are single-use and attach a unique identifier to plants and packages to track every item individually throughout its lifecycle.

As the name suggests, plant tags are attached to each plant so we can always trace exactly which one a product came from.

Plant tags include:

Facility name

License number

Whether it’s for medical or recreational use

Date the tag was ordered

A unique ID number for that plant

Whether it’s for medical or recreational use

With all of this info tracked, at any point in the produce cycle, you can also trace everything back to the exact plant and location it came from.

Metrc package tags
Similar to plant tags, a package tag gets attached to every package. Each package can contain only one type of product and is given a unique 24-digit number to identify it with.

The cost of Metrc tags in Rhode Island
‍Plant tags cost 45c each while package tags cost 25c each.

How to purchase Metrc tags
‍Both plant and package tags are purchased direct from Metrc. Once logged in, you’ll find ‘Tag Orders’ under the Admin menu in the top right hand corner.
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Does Rhode Island allow any Metrc alternatives?

No, there are no Metrc alternatives allowed in Rhode Island at all. Every cannabis business, recreational or medical, must use Metrc and remain compliant at all times.

That said, they do allow third party applications, like Distru, to help you stay compliant and streamline your workflow. We don’t replace Metrc, we leverage automation and a more user-friendly interface to make those Metrc tasks easier to manage.
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FAQs

Why do so many states use Metrc?

Metrc is a cannabis traceability solution providing end-to-end supply chain tracking and reporting for governmental regulatory bodies and cannabis operators.

Metrc allows real-time tracking and tracing of cannabis. Licensees are able to attach unique, serialized tags or UIDs (unique identifiers) to every plant and/or package. A cannabis plant is then tracked all the way from seed to final sale to consumer using these tags which accompany the plant throughout its lifecycle.
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Does Rhode Island use Metrc?

Yes, it is mandatory for all cannabis licensees to use the OCR-Metrc system to record, track, and maintain information about their cannabis and cannabis product inventories and activities. This includes:

Cultivators

Manufacturers

Distributors and Transporters

Microbusinesses

Retailers and Non-Retail storefronts

Labs and more

For more information, visit the OCR Website.
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What does Metrc Stand for?

Metrc is an acronym for Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance
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How do I get a Metrc certificate in Rhode Island?

To become Metrc certified, you must attend Metrc training sessions and pass a 40 question multiple choice test about the software functionality and terminology.

You can go to the Metrc Rhode Island partner website to access the training schedule. You will need a license or application number to attend the Metrc training sessions. If you need to submit or renew an application, go to the OCR website.

Once certified, you can apply for different API endpoints that your company needs, like Plants, Plant Batches, Strains, Rooms, Harvests, etc, by requesting the API keys from Metrc. You will need to pass the sandbox API test for each endpoint to get production API access.

Overall, the process looks like this:

Attend Metrc training sessions

Request Metrc API keys

Take and pass sandbox tests

Get production API access

What’s the status of Distru in Rhode Island?

Distru is currently serving Rhode Island cannabis operators, as well as operators all across the United States - with software being provided to 275+ companies. Distru has been operating for over 6 years offering cannabis licensees software to streamline supply chain and compliance.
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