Metrc lands marijuana traceability contract with US Virgin Islands

Track-and-trace software maker Metrc has secured a contract with the U.S. Virgin Islands to support its medical and adult-use marijuana markets.

The Florida-based company’s RFID tracking and software service is used to monitor and log the life cycle of a product, including origin, testing results, transportation and point-of-sale.

According to a Monday news release, cannabis operators in the U.S. Virgin Islands will have access to Metrc’s new product, Retail ID.

The product combines QR codes that contain product information with inventory barcodes in a single label that can be affixed to a stock-keeping unit (SKU) after clearing testing requirements.

Consumers can scan and access product information, including origin, lab results and authenticity, via a smartphone.

In November, MJBizDaily conducted a product demo of the technology and highlighted Retail ID’s potential benefits for licensees, consumers and regulators.

That same month, the U.S. Virgin Islands opened the application window for various types of cannabis business licenses, including:

• Cultivation and micro-cultivation.
• Manufacturing.
• Dispensary.
• Testing labs.
• Research and development.
• Consumption lounges.

The territory’s Office of Cannabis Regulation planned to issue a maximum of seven dispensary and 15 cultivation licenses in St. Thomas; three dispensary and five cultivation licenses in St, John; and seven dispensary and 15 cultivation licenses in St. Croix, according to a blog post from the Boston-based Foley Hoag law firm.

U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. in January 2023 signed a comprehensive marijuana legalization bill, forming the legal foundation for the territory’s adult-use and medical cannabis markets.