June 26, 2023

Track-and-trace and Point-of-Sale: What’s the differences and what it means for dispensary operations

By
Damion Smith
June 26, 2023

“The reality is Dutchie is a compliance company first and foremost. That's one of the biggest value additions you get by partnering with Dutchie. Being able to help you navigate the state regulatory infrastructure in every single state is a critical part of being a nationwide-supported point-of-sale and ecommerce system.”
- Bryan Barash, Vice President, External Affairs and Deputy General Counsel

As an operator in a state that regulates compliance via BioTrack - you could not have a better partner than Dutchie because we seamlessly integrate with every major state track-and-trace system. 

What is track-and-trace?

Track-and-trace (also called seed-to-sale tracking) refers to the process of following a cannabis plant from germination to harvest to the final product sold to a customer, and all movements between. When a state approves cannabis sales, regulators commonly introduce a seed-to-sale tracking system - usually either BioTrack or Metrc. A state-mandated tracking system means growers and retailers must chart a plant’s entire lifecycle, from the moment it’s planted until the final product is packaged and sold to patients and consumers.

How is track-and-trace different from a point-of-sale (POS) system?

A POS system acts as the heart of your dispensary - keeping track of customers, inventory, sales, purchase limits, and payments as well as reporting all the required information into the track-and-trace system. Track-and-trace and POS are two different systems - one utilized by regulators to monitor the market (track-and-trace) and one utilized to facilitate sales at the dispensary (point-of-sale). For further clarification about the difference between track-and-trace and point-of-sale, the Cannabis Control Division in New Mexico has put together a helpful guide

Integrating your POS with your state’s track-and-trace

Dutchie POS automates the track-and-trace reporting process by integrating with all open  track-and-trace systems, including BioTrack. We do this through a software interface known as an API (Application Programming Interface), which saves hours of manual and error-prone reporting. Keeping you compliant and saving you time and money. For vertically-integrated operators, Dutchie also accounts for full seed-to-sale cultivation tracking. For more details about seed-to-sale tracking, check out Cannabis Compliance 101: Understanding Seed-to-Sale Tracking

A diagram of what a track-and-trace system tracks. 

Dutchie recently hosted a webinar about our integrations with track-and-trace technologies. Check out Compliance for your POS on-demand.

Do you have questions about Dutchie’s integration with track-and-trace systems? Get in touch.

About the author
Damion Smith
Senior Engineering Compliance
Damion Smith is a Senior Engineering Compliance SME at Dutchie. Before joining Dutchie, Smith played a critical role at Metrc, the foremost track-and-trace system utilized by state regulators in the United States. Prior to Metrc, Smith was the Test Lead in the State of Ohio establishing an industry-facing software suite for newly formed Medical Marijuana Control Program.