the good, the bad, and the ugly

As cannabis legalization gains momentum around the world, the issue of tracking seeds for sale is also gaining more attention – both good and bad. As we’ve learned, legalization isn’t just about signing on the dotted line, it requires a complete overhaul of the industry.

It has become imperative for regulators and lawmakers to regulate the cannabis supply chain. This is where seed-to-sale tracking comes into play.

What is Seed Selling Tracking?

Put simply, seed sales tracking is a system that tracks the cannabis lifecycle from harvest, through manufacture, to packaging, testing, and ultimately retail. Each seed or each plant is assigned a unique 16-digit identifier, which the authorities can use to look up the history of the seeds or plants since propagation.

It’s important to note that companies have already implemented their own version of seed tracking to provide consumers with vital information about their seeds, including the date of harvest, date of shipment, and other useful information. This initiative was not developed out of the need to regulate, but out of the desire to inform consumers. It was not about persecution, it was about education.

Seed-to-sale tracking differs significantly from this, as it arose out of the obligation to appease legal requirements and legislators. It is a controversial topic among cannabis enthusiasts, with some calling it a necessary good while others are more critical. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of this regulatory standard.

The Services

There is no denying that tracking seed sales consistently results in safe, high quality products. With additional control and quality assurance, the cannabis production process is more transparent than ever.

The benefit of being able to track every single step in the journey of a cannabis product is so important in maintaining accountability, complying with legal requirements, and preventing bad batches from being sold to consumers.

Some other benefits of tracking seed sales are as follows:

• Remember Unsafe Cannabis Products
• Prevent contaminated materials from reaching the unregulated market and vice versa
• Track the product through all phases of its life cycle
• Prevent the product from reaching certain groups, e.g. B. Minors
• Give the regulators peace of mind where the product is coming from

The disadvantage

As in any highly regulated industry, tracking seed sales is a highly complex system. Due to the additional requirements of the industry, there are a number of additional steps associated with the cannabis production process for producers. This can be a lengthy process for a grower, producer, or pharmacy who may have limited resources and who are still expected to meet stringent government and regulatory requirements.

The above-mentioned actors – growers, producers and pharmacies – have an additional responsibility to provide a comprehensive tracking system that is both inexpensive and meets the standards of the cannabis industry. If companies fail to meet the requirements, they face heavy fines and federal law interventions.

The bottom line is that larger manufacturers and pharmacies can afford to bear the cost of adopting these sophisticated tracking methods because they have more financial stability and the physical infrastructure to meet these requirements, while smaller manufacturers may be out of service be drawn to their more modest resources.

Tracking the sales of seeds has shaken the cannabis market: when the industry was still underground, manufacturers had more control over their product, which in some ways led to more innovation. The tracking system for the sale of seeds could prevent innovation and create suspicion among smaller manufacturers and consumers.

The question also arises as to whether the discoveries made years ago would have been possible in the highly regulated industry. Many consumers express dissatisfaction with the flow of cannabis production, choose to buy underground to preserve the authentic buying experience, and limit their support for an industry that is backed by tech companies and the government.

The problems

The cannabis industry has a duty to maintain transparency at all stages of the product lifecycle, but what regulators do with all data is up to them. Regulators and law enforcement agencies can easily access the life cycle of each individual product through their traceability portal. The ability to closely examine the life cycle of each individual product raises some questions.

When is it acceptable for the state in the retail sector to monitor the private consumption habits of consumers? Do we know that consumer information will not be shared with third parties? With a view to future regulatory requirements, will this data be used to impose stricter measures on manufacturers? Will there be limits to who can produce what and where?

There are legitimate concerns about the way this data is used – especially given what we know about government use and analysis of consumer data. There is little transparency about how this information is used and this does not uphold the accountability argument so often touted by governments.

Additionally, many have expressed their reluctance to support strong regulatory measures, as it disproportionately rewards big box producers and punishes mom and pop stores for lacking resources to adapt.

There are so many new fingers in the pie that some consumers may be disaffected with the future of cannabis production. In many ways, the industry is already consolidating, so the question is: what will happen to the mom and pop growers? Or the consumers who do not want a homogenized product?

Cannabis is a money maker – and thanks to the technology used to sell seeds, there are even more ways to make a profit. Tech companies are popping up in droves trying to do business better. The question remains: has it gone too far?

Let us know what you think about seed-to-sale technology: is this a step in the right direction or needs improvement?