The state of New Jersey entered a contract with Florida-based Metrc, which provides cannabis track-and-trace systems to state governments around the country.

The finalization of the contract was announced March 11 and follows approval by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission earlier this year. New Jersey is Metrc’s 18th government contract for a track-and-trace system.

“As New Jersey kicks off its first cannabis track-and-trace system, we’re excited to help lead the charge on implementing this crucial step toward effective regulation,” said Metrc CEO Jeff Wells in a prepared statement. “Metrc looks forward to working closely with the state of New Jersey, regulators, and licensed business owners to ensure the security and safety of both the state’s medicinal market and the newly established adult-use market.”

New Jersey has had a legal medicinal cannabis program since 2010, and legalized cannabis for adult-use since February 2021. Metrc’s system offers an RFID tag model, where each individual plant and product is traceable through a patented radio-frequency identification tag, allowing for seamless data tracking for each plant, optimizing inventory control and cultivation management.

This system helps ensure regulatory compliance, assists with the accurate reporting of sales data, combats the unregulated market, and provides advances in consumer and product safety.

Nationwide, Metrc serves over 250,000 users including growers, testing facilities, dispensaries, state regulators and law enforcement officials across 16 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. Metrc now holds exclusive government contracts in every region of the country.