Seed-to-Sale Platforms: The Secret Weapon for Cannabis Producers

On October 17, 2018, recreational cannabis use became legal. But while cannabis products for recreational use went from being illicit to lawful in an instant, legalization was the product of a long series of studies, consultations, and debates. 

Central to this process was the question of how legalization might be undertaken responsibly. Critics worried that legalizing recreational cannabis would make it easier for minors to access cannabis, and would do little to curb the extensive black market that exists. 

Advocates argued that with sufficient regulation, cannabis production — like that of alcohol — could be done in a way that keeps it out of the hands of children and keeps profits out of the pockets of criminal organizations. 

Ultimately, the advocates won out. When the Cannabis Act came into force in October 2018, it established a regulatory framework that ensured licensed cannabis producers would be held to high standards, requiring that anyone growing cannabis track each individual plant from seed to sale.   

In practice, this meant that producers needed to invest heavily in tools that would help them manage the significant demands for data collection and storage this placed on them. This, in turn, led many to adopt advanced seed-to-sale platforms designed to streamline the tracking, sales, and compliance process. 

Seed-to-sale platforms like Ample Organics are the cannabis industry’s true secret weapon: it would be difficult to imagine how companies would handle the complex process of tracking each cannabis plant over the course of its lifecycle without the sophisticated software these platforms make available. 

The law requires that every movement of each plant be recorded and made available for inspection; to do this manually would normally require a significant investment of time and energy on the part of producers. 

With Ample Organics, however, producers can use barcodes and wireless scanners (you can click here to learn more about how the system works) to collect data in real time, updating databases directly from the cannabis facility floor. 

Not only does this make it easier for producers to keep track of their plants and make their reports, it also reduces the risk of human error in transferring information, and allows producers to keep detailed inventory records about their product that also help facilitate quality control, harvesting, packaging, and sales. 

Seed-to-sale platforms aren’t just useful for cannabis producers whose product is destined for the recreational market. Ample Organics has also made it easier for producers to get in touch directly with medical users through AmpleCare patient registration, which connects clinics, patients, and producers digitally to eliminate the hassle of extensive paperwork and administrative delays.  

The cannabis market has already proven to be one of the most exciting Canadian investment opportunities of the past decade, and cannabis-related growth has accounted for a very real boost in the Canadian economy. But responsible cannabis production would be impossible without the sophisticated cannabis tech that is driving production and connecting producers to consumers and patients across the country. 

For businesses that want to take advantage of this growth industry, having the secret weapon of seed-to-sale software is essential for short and long-term success.