NEWS
Washington State Seeks New Contractor to Track Commercial Cannabis
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Around $3 million is up for grabs for providing seed-to-sale services.
Published on April 12, 2017

Washington, one of the first states in the nation to launch a fully legal recreational cannabis market, is reportedly searching for a new seed-to-sale provider, reports Marijuana Business Daily.

It seems the state’s current seed-to-sale company, BioTrackTHC, who landed the job back in 2013, has no plans to renew its multi-million dollar contract. Reports show the company is uncomfortable with some aspects of the state’s requirement and no longer wishes to provide its services. This puts upwards of $3 million up for grabs to the next seed-to-sale provider willing to endure the issues that put Washington’s pot market in BioTrackTHC’s rearview mirror.

Unfortunately, there is not much time for those tech firms interested in competing to win the contract. Although BioTrackTHC’s commitment is not set to expire until October, Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board is requiring all proposals be submitted no later than April 26.

The state hopes to have a better system up and running by the end of October.

“The vendors for this aren’t limited to the marijuana industry,” said Brian Smith, communications director for the Liquor and Cannabis Board. “It could be anyone who maintains systems like this for other products in other industries. We need a more robust system that can flex with Washington’s growing, maturing marijuana system.”

Some members of Washington’s cannabis industry have been unhappy with the current seed-to-sale system. It is for this reason that they would like to see a more accommodating application put into place, so that it can be expanded as the industry continues to grow. However, BioTrackTHC argues that its software has always been “very configurable” to the industry’s needs.

“The government platforms that we have deployed in other states are all different. They’ve all been configured for their specific regulations,” said Patrick Vo, CEO of BioTrackTHC.

Other pot retailers, many of which never experienced any issues with the current system, simply hope the state buys into a new program that is compatible with the different types of point-of-sale systems presently used in recreational marijuana dispensaries.

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Mike Adams is a contributing writer for MERRY JANE. He also writes for High Times Magazine and Cannabis Now. You can follow him on Twitter @adamssoup and on Facebook.com/mikeadams73
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