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Metrc LLC

Metrc

Metrc is a provider of an advanced software and radio-frequency (RFID) tagging identification system used by 23 state regulators in the U.S.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Milan Brglez (Member of the European Parliament) and Global Counsel Limited

27 Apr 2023 · Medicinal cannabis policy

Meeting with Brando Benifei (Member of the European Parliament)

21 Mar 2023 · Discussion on cannabis policies (meeting held by assistant)

Meeting with Stelios Kympouropoulos (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Feb 2023 · Digital tools, patient safety and medical cannabis Regulation

Response to Revision of the mandate of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

20 Apr 2022

Metrc appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the proposal for a regulation on the EU drugs agency. Metrc is a U.S.-based company offering the leading solution for cannabis governance through track-and-trace technology, which centrally records inventory, test results, and movement of cannabis plants and products. With many EU governments legalising cannabis for medical and/or adult-use purposes, the agency is likely to face growing pressure to ensure an efficient monitoring of the illegal market while preserving the integrity of the regulated one. For this reason, Metrc believes that access to reliable and comparable information for policymakers is more important than ever. Metrc supports the expansion of the EMCDDA’s mandate, including: • Deeper monitoring and risk analysis of drugs – and the impact on crime, health, and addiction. • Increased coordination among and harmonization between Member States’ policymakers on cross-border aspects of drugs policy. • Faster and more efficient response to pressing challenges and crises through centralized reporting system and oversight. • Access to factual and objective data for evidence-based policy-making. Further, as the EMCDDA considers how to most effectively do so, Metrc recommends: - Recognising the importance of technology and data in policy design, implementation, and iteration; - Learning from experiences in other jurisdictions, in protecting the public interest while permitting legal cannabis-based products; - Developing an integrated, digital mechanism to consistently and centrally collect data from across the single market. - Considering novel monitoring systems like track-and-trace for the regulated markets market integrity and data-backed policies. In the U.S., centralized track-and-trace systems like Metrc’s have become a foundational aspect of legal cannabis markets, providing a valuable support in tackling drug-related issues. State regulators there use them as monitoring and control systems to store product origins and test results, implement targeted product recalls and holds, aid in investigations of illegal or non-compliant activity, audit tax receipts, and inform future policy development. As a growing number of member states consider cannabis legalization and regulation, we wish to reinforce the importance of creating such a centralized track-and-trace system. Through track-and-trace technology, EU and Member State officials would have complete visibility and oversight of legal cannabis material throughout the entirety of its lifecycle, from seed to sale. These systems capture information across the entire supply chain, including tracking handling, harvesting, laboratory testing, processing, transportation, sale, and disposal – and make this information available to regulators in real time. This can be a powerful tool to ensure that the agency’s resources are efficiently deployed to address the illicit market and to safeguard public health. Furthermore, the system could also integrate with other government systems, allowing data from other agencies to be linked together for additional analysis and oversight. Such a system could be adapted to reflect the unique policies of each Member State and the different needs of different authorities, as already occurs in each U.S. state. We believe that leveraging the most appropriate digital solution for automated, real-time, and centralized monitoring is a key prerequisite to improving the Agency’s data collection, analysis, and dissemination capabilities on drugs and drug addiction at the EU level. We strongly encourage the EMCDDA and the future EU drugs agency to consider a robust, centralized control and monitoring system for cannabis plants and products. In Metrc’s experience, the use of proven digital solutions plays a key role in the effective implementation of drug policy. Lewis Koski lewis.koski@metrc.com +1-303-434-8550
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