Page 132 - Security Today, September 2018

TRACKING CANNABIS
FROM SEED TO SALE
Cannabis futures are on the rise these days. As of 2018, 30 states and the District of Columbia have laws broadly legalizing marijuana in some form. The now legal sale of this plant in its various forms means retailers must purchase it from licensed growers. And, as you can imagine, there is quite a bit of regulation surrounding the growing, cultivating, and delivery of cannabis. For what is legal in one state, is very much illegal in another. Through its integrated video and RFID solution, March Networks is helping growers adhere to video surveillance and seed-to- sale tracking regulations and improve their workflow in the process.
Most states where growing cannabis is legal have regulations such as Colorado’s HB 1284 legislation – commonly known as the seed-to-sale law. This is
just what it sounds like. Licensed growers need to be able to pinpoint the location of each plant from its initial growth through to its sale. Any misplaced items result in a fine.
IT WORKS LIKE THIS...
The vegetation room contains “mother plants” where pieces are clipped off and placed into incubation containers. Those that begin to grow are tagged with an RFID chip and entered into the system. Once they reach a certain height, the plants are taken to another room to continue growing. They are continually tracked until they are trimmed and dried. Once they are bagged for retail, a new retail RFID sticker is added and the packages are moved over to a dispensary.
19 | ScanSource Networking and Security Focus FALL 2018