3p Traceability Week: Q&A with MJ Freeway on Medical Marijuana Traceability

Join Triple Pundit and a panel of experts for 3p Traceability Week to discuss traceability in four controversial arenas — seafood, fashion, minerals and medical marijuana.  Ask your questions in the comments section, and follow along here. The Q&A closes on Tuesday, September 16. 

Sustainability is inching ever-closer to the mainstream, but it isn't the only green revolution sweeping the nation. I'm referring, of course, to marijuana legalization. The "Reefer Madness" days are long gone: Medical marijuana sales are now permitted in 23 states and Washington, D.C., and two states (Washington and Colorado) have outright legalized marijuana for adults 21 and over.

The industry has proven to be a big money-maker -- Colorado raked in about $12.6 million the first three months after marijuana was legalized -- but some growing pains remain. Washington and Colorado, where recreational pot is legal, have seen a wave of 'marijuana tourism.' As flocks of tourists seek out a taste of legalized marijuana, some inexperienced smokers may catch a sour buzz -- as New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd experienced firsthand when she took one too many bites of a pot edible while visiting Denver. As Dowd found out, some edibles do not include dosage instructions; the candy bar she ate, for example, was intended to be divided into 16 pieces for novices, but that recommendation was not included on the label.

When it comes to medical marijuana, these concerns can become even more pronounced. Things like dosage instructions, predictable levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and verification that the marijuana contains no additives are necessary if the product is to be dispensed for therapeutic purposes. For both medical and recreational use, it is also pertinent for legal processors, infused product manufacturers and retailers to verify that the marijuana they sell was sourced from legal grow operations. All of these concerns make traceability a big issue for this fledgling industry.

As part of 3p Traceability Week, the MJ Freeway team will be on-hand all week to answer your questions about medical marijuana traceability. Based in Denver, Colorado, where both medical and recreational marijuana sales are legal, MJ Freeway provides software solutions that help producers, processors, infused product manufacturers and retailers track the product throughout the supply chain -- from field to cash register. Respond with your questions in the comments section below!

To get the conversation started, we have a few questions of our own:

1. What are the biggest barriers you face in creating end-to-end traceability in the medical marijuana industry?


2. How has technology changed the game in terms of monitoring inventory? What technology do you think is most promising for offering an end-to-end solution?


3. Imagining that every business at every step of the medical marijuana supply chain has technology in place to monitor their stock in and out; what else is needed to achieve whole-chain traceability?


4. What strategies or initiatives have been useful in making progress towards better traceability in the medical marijuana industry? Are there any examples or initiatives you can point to that have had some success?

Image credit: Flickr/trawin