The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) began a rule development project on May 29, 2019 to redesign marijuana packaging and labeling requirements. This comprehensive rule overhaul project is designed to reduce the complexity and increase readability of the current rules. In their most recent policy decision the WSLCB acknowledged that rules going into effect January 1, 2019 may result in compliance costs and impacts to licensees because most processors purchase packaging and labeling materials in bulk to reduce costs. As a result, the WCSLB has elected to allow a “phase in” period that will allow licensees to cycle through existing inventory. Licensees are now required to comply by July 1, 2020 with packaging and labeling rules as adopted by the Board through interim policy on May 18, 2018, December 12th, 2018, January 9, 2019, and July 17, 2019.

Below we have listed the interim marijuana packaging and labeling requirements which amend the rules listed in Chapter 314-55 WAC.

Washington Cannabis Labeling Requirements:

1. In addition to the labeling requirements provided in WAC 314-55-105, labels affixed to the container or package containing marijuana or marijuana products sold at retail must include the business or trade name and the nin or sixteen digit Washington State Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number of the licensees that produced, processed, and sold the marijuana or marijuana products. The marijuana retail licensee trade name and Washington State Unified Business Identifier Number (UBI) may be in the form of a sticker placed on the label.  
2. Labels affixed to a package or container containing usable marijuana, marijuana concentrates, and marijuana infused products sold at retail in Washington State must not mimic, imply, represent, or contain any statement, depiction, illustration, design, brand, or name of a product containing alcohol. Product label design that mimics or implies that a marijuana product contains alcohol has been considered false and misleading, and increases public safety risk. Use of the following words or references does not supercede the current rule. Words or references include but are not limited to:
   • Non-alcoholic
   • Does not contain alcohol
   • Not a beer
   • Not a wine
   • Not a spirit
   • 0% ABV

Additional Edible & Infused Product Labeling Requirements:

1. The following requirements apply to all marijuana infused edible products and their packaging and labeling.
   • Only colors and shapes from an approved list on the WSLCB website can be used.
   • Packaging and labeling background color must be white, cream, grey, black, tan, or brown. Up to three accent colors from the approved color list on the WSLCB website are allowed. A percentage or gradient of an approved color counts as one color. 
   • Packaging and labeling font color must be on of the approved colors provided on the WSLCB website. Font color counts as one of the three accent colors.
   • A full color photo or photo in a chosen accent color of the product is allowed.
   • Packaging with a clear window is permitted.
   • Company logos are permitted. Examples of allowable logo displays are available on the WSLCB website. 

Marijuana Warning Statement Requirements:

1. In addition to the labeling and advertising requirements described in WAC 314-55-155, marijuana advertising and the labels affixed to the container or package containing usable marijuana, marijuana concentrates, and marijuana infused products sold at retail in Washington State must not contain:
   • Any statement or reference of the product having an effect on the body or mind. 
   • Any statement or reference that the product produces a useful or favorable result or effect
   • Any statement or reference that the product impacts the health of the consumer
   • Words such as, but not limited to, relief, remedy, healing, curative, remedial, medicinal, restorative, beneficial, corrective, wellness, wellbeing, salutary, salubrious, and support, are prohibited. Including the phrase” This product is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease” does not supercede the rules. 

Marijuana Labeling Amendments

1. The following sections of WAC-314-55-077 are amended as follows:
   • (8) Marijuana infused edible products must:
     1. (a) be homogenized to ensure uniform disbursement of cannabinoids. 
   • (9) A marijuana processor is limited in the types of food or drinks they may infuse with marijuana. Prohibited items include, but are not limited to, products that require cooking or baking by the consumer.
   • Marijuana infused products must be dull in color, and not coated in sugar, sprinkles, or other embellishments. For purposes of this rule, “dull” is defined as low in saturation and low in lightness. Marijuana infused edibles that are brightly colored or similar to commercially available products intended for or that are targeted to youth or children are prohibited.
   • Marijuana infused products that are especially appealing to children are prohibited. 
2. Licensees may choose not to include the following optional information under either the current rule requirements or the new rule requirements. 
   • Retailer business/trade name and UBI
   • Harvest date (where required in the rules)
   • “Best By” date
   • Manufactured date
3. The above items were selected as optional under the new rule requirements because this information can be gathered from data in the traceability system.
4. Additionally, inclusion of unique identifiers in the traceability system and on labels will allow the WSLCB and licensees to track products back to their source in cases where a recall may be necessary without the above information included on the label. Licensees may choose to include the above information under either the current rule requirements or the new rule requirements. 

Keeping up with marijuana packaging and labeling requirements is an important part of maintaining cannabis compliance.Your seed to sale software can be either a help or a hindrance when it comes to compliant labels. Let Adilas420 help! Adilas420 offers compliant marijuana packaging and labels. Contact us today to consult on your cannabis packing and labeling needs. 

Compliance challenges are abundant in the cannabis industry. With numerous local and federal regulations compliance must be a primary focus of a successful cannabis business. Though there are many seed to sale software options on the market, Adilas is the only full Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Adilas can help relieve the pressure on cannabis compliance employees by allowing comprehensive data to be organized and easily retrieved.

Here is a list of common cannabis compliance challenges and how Adilas software can help.

Cannabis Compliance Challenges: 6 Ways Adilas Can Help

1. Inventory Management

Cannabis inventory management is a big process that requires attention to detail at each stage. Seed to sale tracking can help by making it simple to enter and update details, but Adilas will also provide powerful reporting features that allow you to retrieve data easily. This will come in handy for month end inventory counts and audits or when investigating an anomaly.

2. Government Reporting

The various regulatory agencies and governments require that data be submitted at regular intervals to monitor regulation compliance. Adilas software will integrate with several state tracking softwares and government tracking systems. This makes reporting simple. If integration isn’t necessary, Adilas provides robust reporting functionality that makes it easy to gather the data needed for submission.

3. Taxes

Many seed to sale platforms do not include accounting functionality. Adilas includes a full accounting platform, allowing you to track taxes in conjunction with your other liabilities and assets. Income Statements, Profit and Loss Reports, Balance Sheet reports and Tax reports are included in this all in one cannabis software solution.

4. Maintain Licensing

There are a lot of details to keep up to maintain proper licensing but Adilas can help alleviate some of the worry by ensuring that you are well organized and ready to answer questions upon inspection. Adilas is a full document management system.

5. Compliant Sales

The sales process must be carefully monitored in order to ensure that all sales are legal. Adilas can help by tracking every step as well as providing necessary product manifest documentation.

6. Packaging, Labeling, & Product Safety Laws

Most seed to sale softwares will provide labeling functionality but Adilas provides a customizable option that ensures your final product label complies with state regulation and product safety laws.

A full ERP system means more than just choosing a seed to sale software. Your ERP should include software or a suite of software to help you organize all matters of compliance.Let Adilas420 help! Contact us today to discuss your cannabis business needs and how Adilas can benefit your company. 

Cannabis cultivation is a complicated process with many stages. Throughout these stages you will need to collect data for a number of reasons. Whether it is deciding what clones to cut or reporting sales data to investors, your seed to sale software will play a key role. Make sure yours has the ability to provide the following cannabis cultivation reports. 

Cannabis Cultivation: 7 Common Reporting Needs

Plants 

What plants do you have? Where are they? What stage they are in? There are a number of reasons that you might find yourself needing the answers to these questions and your seed to sale software should make it easy to find the answers. Adilas has a user friendly cultivation interface that allows you to answer these questions at a glance. 

Inventory

What inventory do you have on hand? You might be doing a month end audit, or you might need to know what is available to sell. Either way, comprehensive and flexible inventory reports are vital to a cannabis cultivation. Adilas provides robust inventory reporting options so you can always know what you have.

Costs

How much did it cost to produce a batch? The ability to report on the cost to create a batch of cannabis is integral. Not all seed to sale softwares have the ability to track cost of goods as part of their solution. Finding one that does can save you lots of time and resources. Adilas includes a full accounting platform out of the box so you can start tracking cost from the start.

Sales

How many customers do you have? How much product was sold and to whom? Sales reporting will be important to many different areas of your cannabis cultivation. Marketing might use sales data to plan sales activities, while the cultivation might use the data to plan what strains to grow. With Adilas, seed to sale software, sales reporting is both comprehensive and simple.

Taxes

Taxes are a complicated issue in any cannabis business. A system that has a full financial platform included will be able to help you track how much tax is owed and to whom. Adilas allows you to track complicated taxes in a logical and easy manner. 

History

Mistakes will happen and that’s ok. The key is being able to investigate and correct the action. History reports make it possible to figure out what happened, when it happened, and who performed the action. Adilas allows any action by a user to be tracked and also keeps a history for various system elements. This makes it easy to solve issues quickly. 

Government Reporting

Each government has different requirements for reporting essential data. In the US, some states require that a physical report be filled out and submitted. Other states require that a cannabis cultivation use a specific software (such as METRC) to report important data. Adilas makes it easy to find needed data points for a physical report or integrate with state required systems.  

When considering a seed to sale software it is important to make sure all of your reporting needs are provided. Adilas, which is an acronym for “All Data Is Live And Searchable” provides powerful reporting tools for all areas of your cannabis cultivation. Let Adilas420 show you more. Schedule a demo today! 

Cannabis employee training is an essential part of any successful cannabis business but may be even more so for the cannabis industry. Whether they are brand new employees or existing employees that need to learn a new skill, there are challenges involved to get the job done efficiently and effectively. For instance, time and cost are significant challenges. How long does it take to effectively train an employee? What is the cost of training the employee?

The best way to minimize the amount of time and cost associated with training is to have a plan. Consider combining different methods to accommodate your specific cannabis employee training needs. What is appropriate for a brand new employee may not be necessary for an existing employee. 

The following list introduces six cannabis employee training methods. They can be integrated into your cannabis business to lessen the time and cost while maximizing the benefits.

Cannabis Employee Training: 6 Methods

1. Classroom Learning

This is a very traditional method involving techniques like lectures, activities, slideshows, etc. The “class” is led by a qualified facilitator. This method might be most beneficial for a company looking to train a larger “class” of employees simultaneously.

2. On the Job Training

On the job training is the idea that sometimes “doing” is the best way to learn. This usually takes place after some introductory training by way of another method. 

3. Online Learning

Though resources are limited for the cannabis industry, there are some great options available online, depending on your needs. There are a number of online cannabis schools that can be utilized to train the industry basics. Additionally, your seed to sale compliance software company may offer online employee training options. Adilas420 offers online courses to train employees on how to use Adilas in their role. Group memberships will save you money, so enroll multiple employees to get as many employees trained as possible.

4. Standard Operating Procedures

Standard operating procedures, or SOPs, are written procedures for performing specific tasks. They are a resource for tasks at all levels of a business and can be a great support when combined with another method such as on the job learning. 

5. Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching and mentoring can be a significant a part of your employee training plan. One on one training usually takes place with an experienced professional and can be an effective way to both impart knowledge and assess the employee as they progress. Use members of your own team, or outsource a specialist for cannabis business coaching.

6. Group Discussions and Tutorials

This is a great method for updating the knowledge of current employees. Group discussion is an effective way to deliver a message as well as gauge understanding. Since important information can be conveyed to many people at once, the company is able to save time and money simultaneously. These might include webinars for cannabis businesses.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different options when creating the right cannabis employee training plan for your cannabis business. The right plan can save your company time and money as well as set up your employees for success.

 Let Adilas420 help! Contact us today to discuss your cannabis employee training and seed to sale business needs. 

Why do standard operating procedures matter?

Standard operating procedures, or SOPs, are an essential part of any cannabis business. They help a company stay organized, operate efficiently, and communicate to employees how to correctly perform tasks. Check out Cannabis SOPs: 10 Ways They Can Save The Day for more information on why they are important. 

Writing and updating cannabis SOPs will be an ongoing project for any successful cannabis business. As processes change or new processes are introduced, you will want to have a plan in place for documenting those changes. 

Cannabis SOPs in 10 Easy Steps

1. Choose a format. 

Your company may already have a format in use or you may need to create a template. A larger company may use ISO 9000 formatting where a smaller company may use a simpler method. There are numerous template options available online for those that want some extra help getting started. 

2. Determine the purpose of the SOP. 

Be very clear when deciding the exact purpose of your SOP and keep it in mind as you write. 

3. Determine the process steps. 

Investigate the process. What steps are currently employed to complete the task? What are the pain points? Where do changes need to be made? 

4. Include necessary elements. 

At a minimum, a good standard operating procedure will include the following elements:

1. The scope of the procedure –  This describes the purpose of the SOP. 
2. The methodology and procedures – These are the steps to follow. 
3. Clarification of terminology – Define relevant vocabulary. 
4. Health and safety warnings – What potential dangers should the audience be aware of?
5. Equipment and supplies – What is needed to complete the task? 
6. Cautions and interferences  – What could go wrong and how will it be fixed?. 

5. Ensure writing is clean and concise.

You want people to understand the message so try to keep sentences short and clear. 

6. Add diagrams and flowcharts.

Diagrams and flowcharts are a great way to break up large chunks of text while providing visual aids. 

7. Review the process with stakeholders. 

The people currently managing or performing the process are a great resource for what works and what doesn’t. Include them in the discussion to make sure the process is feasible and will be used. 

8. Test the procedure. 

Go through the steps of the process personally looking for places where it could breakdown or be made more efficient. 

9. Submit the SOP for approval. 

Your superiors will review the process and offer changes or approve the new standard operating procedure. 

10. Implement the SOP. 

Congratulations! Now that the SOP has been approved, it can be put into practice.

Still having trouble? Let Adilas420 help! We can provide compliant SOPs for your location or a general template for you to complete. Contact us today to discuss your needs and options.

What are SOPs?  

Cannabis SOPs, or Standard Operating Procedures, record processes to be followed through all areas of a cannabis business. They provide step by step instructions for the simplest tasks to the most complicated.

Why do we need SOPs?

A smart cannabis business uses SOPs to promote consistency, productivity, and communication. They help a company stay organized, operate efficiently, and communicate to employees how to correctly perform tasks. 

Here are 10 ways that SOPs can save the day at your cannabis business.

Cannabis SOPs: 10 Ways They Can Save The Day

1. Communication is facilitated.

Standardized processes make it easier to communicate what needs to be done at any given time. Details can be lost in conversation so having written instructions helps ensure this doesn’t happen.

2. Consistency and quality control are promoted.

When processes are performed the same way each time, a business can come to rely on the expected results. As a result, controlling quality becomes simpler.

3. Productivity is increased.

When an employee knows exactly what to do they become more productive. Additionally, it is easier to see where a process can be improved when it has been standardized.

4. Training is made simpler.

Whether training a new employee or cross training an existing employee, SOPs simplify the process by laying out exactly what needs to be learned in a concise manner. 

5. Training time is reduced.

Training new employees or cross training existing employees can be time consuming so having written instructions for expected tasks means they can hit the ground running.

6. Employee performance evaluation is more effective.

Good SOPs provide the ability to judge an employee’s success based on concrete data rather than opinion.

7. Peer accountability and coaching is supported.

When learning a new task, clear SOPs allow employees to coach each other. This frees up the manager for other tasks. It also means that when a task isn’t correctly performed, employees can address the issue through coaching or other means. 

8. A safer work environment is created.

SOPs will include safety measures. Ensuring they are being followed will reduce the possibility of accidents and could even reduce legal liability in the event something does happen.

9. Errors are reduced.

SOPs can help reduce the possibility of costly errors when they are a regular part of operations.

10. They meet legal requirements.

In many localities, compliant cannabis SOPs are required as a part of the licensing process. Making sure they are current and relevant will be an ongoing process.

In Conclusion

Cannabis SOPs are an essential part of a successful cannabis business. Though it can be time consuming to create and maintain standard operating procedures, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.  

Let Adilas420 help you get started today with compliant cannabis business standard operating procedures. 

A grower is an essential part of any cannabis cultivation. They are responsible for caring for marijuana plants from propagation through harvest. A marijuana business will need to offer comprehensive cannabis grower training. With well trained growers, a successful cultivation produces high quality and valuable cannabis. Without competent growers, the cultivation can’t produce competitive product at a competitive price.

Why Cannabis Grower Training Matters

A lot of labor is needed to see a crop through the plant cultivation and manufacturing process. Making sure the growers performing the labor are well trained sets your cultivation up for profitable harvests. Good cannabis grower training will save you in costly mistakes. 

The following list introduces the main steps to consider when training a new grower.

Cannabis Grower Training in 3 Easy Steps

1. Train the Grower on Laws and Company Policy. Any cannabis grower should be able to explain the relevant laws and company policies. The laws will be different in different locations so it is important to know that they understand and comply with them. Company policies are generally created with compliance to the laws in mind and are equally important. 
2. Train on Plant Knowledge and Life Cycle. A cannabis grower must understand the different cannabis growth stages and the factors that can impact the quality of the finished product. Whether you are growing marijuana or help, indica or sativas, understanding the different types of plants and their unique needs will be critical.
3. Train on Cultivation Business Processes. A grower will need to be comfortable following standard operating procedures. These procedures generally describe how and when a task is to take place. SOP’s are a great training tool and create efficiencies and standards for compliance. A marijuana grow employee must also be able to track the progress of the plants and record the data associated with them.

In addition to helping to produce high quality products, cannabis grower training will help reduce costs. Training is important not just for new hires and growers, but for experienced employees too. A good cannabis grower will always be learning. Cannabis colleges, like the ones offered in Canada and various universities in the United States, may help cultivation employees fine tune their skills. As a cannabis grower improves so will your business.

Training new employees can seem complicated, but with a good plan in place you can streamline the process and set up your cultivation business for success. Let Adilas420 help you!

A budtender is often the main face of your dispensary to the customer. They are a source of knowledge and experience that can be tapped to enhance the customer experience. Alternatively, a bad experience can sour the customer on your company indefinitely so this makes comprehensive budtender training essential to your dispensary’s success.

Why Training Matters 

Budtenders must be knowledgeable in multiple areas in order to provide the level of service demanded from the cannabis industry. Good budtender training provides the new employee with all the tools they need to be successful in their new cannabis role. Bad training leaves the new employee confused and set up for failure.

The following list introduces the main steps to consider when training a new budtender. 

4 Steps for Training a New Budtender

1. Laws and Company Policies – Any dispensary agent should be able to explain the relevant marijuana laws and company policies. Company policies are generally created with compliance with the laws in mind and are equally important.
2. Point of Sale – There are many different options for point of sale systems so making sure your budtender understands exactly how to use yours is vital. Explore and utilize outside training resources.
3. Customer Flow and Customer Service – Make sure your new budtender understands the customer flow from the moment they walk through the door until they leave. This includes customer service practices such as greetings, appropriate conversation, and upselling. 
4. Product Offerings – Budtenders should understand the different characteristics of marijuana and have a comprehensive knowledge of available products. This allows them to answer questions and make recommendations.

In an ever-changing industry, a budtender will need to be constantly maintaining and updating their store of knowledge. 

Training any new employee can seem like a hassle. With a good plan in place you can streamline the process and set up your new employee for success. Let Adilas420 help you!

Choosing the right cannabis business ERP (enterprise resource planning system) will be critical for marijuana businesses with big expansion goals. A full ERP system means more than just choosing a seed to sale software. Your ERP should include software or a suite of software to help you organize your business intelligence for all areas of your cannabis business including accounting, human resources, customer relationship management, and all of your compliance reporting needs. 

There is a huge selection of ERP systems across the world, but ERP’s for the cannabis industry are harder to find. Many of the marijuana industry’s seed to sale software company’s claim to be ERP’s, however have limited functions beyond inventory control, point of sale and hopefully, integrated state cannabis business reporting. If you choose a seed to sale software for your marijuana business that has limited functionality, be prepared to pay much more in other softwares and software integrations to complete your ERP needs.

When choosing the right seed to sale software there is a lot to consider. We have prepared a list of the top 7 things to consider when choosing a seed to sale software. This provides you with the fundamentals of understanding how to choose the right cannabis ERP system.

Top 7 Things To Consider When Choosing a Cannabis ERP

1. Are the software providers you are considering innovating in the cannabis industry? – The Cannabis Industry has special considerations when it comes to inventory and compliance tracking. Choose a provider that is actively innovating with the ever-changing cannabis industry. Adilas is one of the top 5 used cannabis pos systems in the US and is constantly innovating for marijuana businesses. 
2. What models or features are offered for accounting, human resources, customer relationship management, cannabis compliance and reporting needs? – Options offered by different providers differ greatly. More features means fewer separate solutions are needed. 
3. Is the system cloud based or do you have to host your server locally? – Cloud based options allow the system to be accessed remotely. This can provide a great deal of convenience. Hosting a system locally can also be expensive. 
4. What does the software company offer for data security? – How is your data protected if something happens? Many software companies use multiple methods for ensuring data security and backup.  
5. Which system seems the most user-friendly? – It is important that the system “makes sense” to the user. Look for logical progression in placement of functions and easy visual flow. 
6. How customizable is the system? – Does it offer an open API? How well does the software integrate with your current systems? Does the software integrate with state tracking systems? 
7. Compare the costs and benefits of the cannabis software systems. Are the prices competitive? – Gather pricing and benefits details for multiple systems to compare and analyze what you’re getting for the cost of each system.
8. What is involved in implementing each solution? – How much work is involved in getting started in the new ERP? Are processes in place to simplify implementation?
9. What kind of support is offered by the provider? – What happens when you need help? Who can you contact and under what circumstances? Are there training and implementation options? Does customer support understand the unique needs and processes of the cannabis industry?
10. What do current users of the system think about it? – Users are often the best judge of a system. They will know intimately where the system excels and where it needs work. 

Conclusion

You probably noticed that we gave you more than 7 things to consider when choosing a cannabis ERP. Tracking cannabis businesses and data is complex. We offer 9 more Tips for Selecting and Implementing Your Seed to Sale Software System here. Regardless of if you are new to seed to sale tracking systems, or you are currently using one, there is a lot of exploratory research to be done before choosing a cannabis ERP.

There are a lot of online resources available. Take the time and dig in. Learn everything you can about cannabis ERPs. Adilas20 online learning for cannabis businesses is a great place to start for those who prefer online training. The more you know about the benefits, features, and drawbacks of these systems, the better equipped you’ll be to make the decision that best fits your company.

When choosing a new cannabis POS or inventory control system, there will be a lot of steps to successfully implementing the new system.

We chose adilas as our preferred seed to sale software because it is the closest thing to an all in one solution for an ERP that we could find. It’s open API allows for full control over building the software to become your best cannabis ERP. 

Adilas420 is happy to help. Get help from an expert or take an online course to learn more today. 

Changing Cannabis POS (Point of Sale) systems can seem like a daunting task with lots of details that need attention. If you have decided to transition to a new Cannabis POS then the amount of time spent migrating data to a new system can be overwhelming. One important detail is preparing your existing data for entry into the new system. Some systems allow for an upload from a properly formatted spreadsheet. This will populate the data needed to get started in your new inventory control system. Spreadsheets are an excellent way to gather and organize the needed information.

Here are four easy steps for preparing your data for transitioning to a new system. If you chose Adilas as your new Cannabis POS system then we will offer you tools for on-boarding including properly formatted spreadsheets. The following steps can be used for any Cannabis Point of Sale software.

4 Easy Steps to Prepare Your New Cannabis POS

1. Collect and/or export your employee user list. – Gather your employee user details and be sure to note job title or duties. Your new system will need users entered with the appropriate permissions level and knowing at what level to set those permissions will save you time later. 

2. Collect and/or export your customer list. – Gather your customer information and be sure to include all relevant details. If you are keeping detailed customer records, such as name, email, and marijuana licensing details, migrating your existing data will be important for customer relationship management and compliance purposes.

3. Collect and/or export your vendor list. – Gather your vendor list. When items are entered in the system they will need to be associated with the proper vendor so it is important to have all those details correct prior to entering inventory in the new system. 

4. Collect and/or export your item list. – Gather your inventory item list. Your item list should include vendor, category, unit of measurement, etc. This is a great opportunity to consider any changes needed in item naming conventions or categories. 

For more details on transitioning to a new system, watch this video or contact an expert! Our trainers at Adilas420.com can help you choose or transition to a new Cannabis POS system. Let us help you make sure your new Cannabis Dispensary Software is your last!