This same question is asked by many consumers across various categories of products we consume everyday. Do I really know the chicken I’m about to buy is raised on a free-range farm? Is the medicine I’m about to take authentic? Is the fish I’m planning to eat for dinner from Boston as advertised? We all want to know the origin of products, their claims, what are the ingredients, was it produced using Current Good Manufacturing Process (cGMP) best practices, as well as adherence to Federal and State regulations. Many brands today have implemented strategies and initiatives to ensure they can answer these questions for their customers with open transparency, traceability of facts and trust through sharing provable authentic data.

John Shearman

The legal Cannabis industry as it begins to mature across the globe is also heading in this direction. The current U.S. Federal, State and even Municipal regulations are strict and complex, adding a level of compliance each company must implement to ensure their products are of high quality and safe to consume. This requires companies to implement a technology ecosystem strategy to capture the required data points to comply with all the regulatory rules as well as run their own operations.  I have seen first hand what a licensed New York State processor goes through to integrate these systems with their workflow — implementing Standard Operating Procedures, state-required seed-to-sale systems and their underpinning Enterprise Resource Platforms (ERP) and Quality Management Systems (QMS). It was extremely impressive to witness this level of sophistication of technology, dedication to product quality, and consumer safety. It made me personally feel comfortable because my wife is also a patient of the NYS Medical Marijuana program and uses tinctures as part of her pain management program for her neck.