For centuries, human societies have sought remedies in nature, turning to plants for healing and relief. One such plant, marijuana, has recently received renewed attention for a historically contested role: pain relief. As we open nature’s apothecary, the use of marijuana for pain relief has gained acceptance from skeptics and enthusiasts alike, all eager to explore its potential.
The use of cannabis in medicinal contexts is far from new. Archaeological evidence points to cannabis as a therapeutic agent over 5,000 years ago. Ancient Chinese texts described its use to treat rheumatic pain and across the globe, different cultures have embraced cannabis as a vital part of their materia medica. Despite its historical use, the 20th century saw cannabis fall from grace, largely due to legal restrictions and societal perceptions. Today, however, the winds are changing and there is a revitalization of this plant in modern medicine, particularly for its analgesic properties.
As modern science delves deeper into the capabilities of marijuana, the evidence supporting its efficacy in chronic pain management grows. Studies suggest that therapeutic cannabinoids, key compounds found in marijuana, interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, playing a crucial role in modulating pain. The pioneering work around cannabinoids as plant-based pain control highlights its potential in managing conditions like arthritis, migraines, and neuropathic pain.
Current research is replete with promising results. A 2016 study published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review suggests that cannabis exhibits analgesic effects capable of managing chronic pain. Furthermore, engaging with genetic research and cultivation techniques can maximize these effects. For more on optimizing the potency of cultivated marijuana, consult this resource.
The evolving landscape of marijuana legalization plays a significant role in its accessibility and perception. While the legal status of marijuana varies worldwide, an increasing number of countries and states have recognized its medical value, allowing patients to experience its benefits without the previous stigmas attached. Ethical considerations often revolve around ensuring equitable access and avoiding potential misuse. Societal acceptance continues to grow, fueled by testimonials and the persuasive influence of scientific advancements.
The efficacy of marijuana for pain relief often depends on how it is consumed. Common methods include:
Each method comes with its own set of benefits and challenges, making it vital for users to consider their unique needs and consult healthcare professionals when integrating cannabis into their pain management routine.
The human stories behind marijuana’s resurgence in pain relief are as compelling as the scientific data. Many individuals report transformative experiences, citing improved quality of life and reduced reliance on pharmaceuticals. These narratives not only humanize the topic but bolster the growing body of evidence supporting cannabis as a viable cannabis analgesic.
Understanding the dichotomy of benefits and risks is essential. Benefits of marijuana for pain relief include reduced inflammation, the decreased need for opioids and minimal withdrawal effects. However, potential risks can involve dependency, cognitive impairment and interactions with other medications. Responsible consumption, informed by medical guidance, is key to harnessing its full potential safely.
Marijuana’s effectiveness for pain relief can vary significantly among individuals, but studies and anecdotal evidence suggest it can be a potent analgesic for various types of pain. Medical marijuana is often reported to be effective for chronic pain conditions such as neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia, conditions that are typically resistant to conventional pain medications. Its key components, cannabinoids like THC and CBD, interact with the body’s neurological system to reduce pain perception and provide relief.
Clinical trials have shown that marijuana can be particularly beneficial in cases where traditional pain management has failed or presents significant side effects. For example, a study published in the Journal of Pain found that marijuana use among patients with refractory chronic pain led to noticeable improvements in pain levels and sleep quality. By reducing inflammation and altering pain pathways in the nervous system, marijuana provides an alternative that may improve quality of life for those suffering from persistent pain.
The benefits of using marijuana for pain relief include its ability to target pain pathways directly while minimizing some of the dependency risks associated with opioids. For many, marijuana offers an avenue to alleviate pain without the risk of severe side effects or addiction that come with long-term opioid use. Additionally, marijuana is noted for its anti-inflammatory properties, which can be beneficial for conditions like arthritis.
However, there are risks associated with marijuana use as well. These can include cognitive impairments, particularly in areas like memory and attention, which can affect daily functioning. Long-term use might lead to psychological dependency and there can be adverse interactions with other medications. It’s also worth considering societal and legal implications, as marijuana remains illegal in many jurisdictions. As with any treatment, the decision to use marijuana should involve a careful assessment of the potential risks and benefits, ideally in consultation with a healthcare professional.
Marijuana’s pain-relieving properties are primarily attributed to its interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a complex cell-signaling system discovered in the early 1990s. The ECS plays a role in regulating a range of functions and processes, including pain, mood and sleep. Cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, interact with the cannabinoid receptors found throughout the body, particularly those in the central and peripheral nervous systems, which mediate the sensation of pain.
THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, can mimic the actions of naturally occurring endocannabinoids, binding to cannabinoid receptors to reduce pain perception. CBD, on the other hand, does not directly bind to these receptors but influences them indirectly, modulating their efficacy and reducing inflammation. Together, these cannabinoids help change the brain’s pain signaling pathways, offering relief and potentially altering the body’s pain threshold.
Marijuana can be a safe alternative to traditional pain relief medications for some patients, particularly those who have not responded well to conventional treatments or who wish to avoid the side effects associated with long-term use of pharmaceuticals like opioids. Its use may lead to positive outcomes in managing chronic pain, with many patients finding significant relief where other treatments have failed.
Nevertheless, safety concerns remain, particularly regarding the potential for psychological dependency and other side effects such as altered cognitive function. It is crucial to remember that individual responses to marijuana can vary, and not all patients will tolerate it well. Thus, marijuana should be considered as part of a holistic pain management strategy, ideally tailored by healthcare professionals who can take into account the full spectrum of patient needs, medical history, and potential drug interactions.
In conclusion, the journey of marijuana from a historical remedy to a cornerstone in modern pain management reflects broader changes in societal attitudes and medical practices. As our understanding evolves, the role of marijuana for pain relief continues to unfold, inviting us to reflect on nature’s enduring capability to heal and relieve.
In recent years, the medical community has witnessed a paradigm shift as innovative medical marijuana strains have started to redefine patient care. These strains, characterized by their unique chemical compositions, offer new avenues for treating a wide range of health conditions. From chronic pain to anxiety and even for more complex neurodegenerative diseases, these therapeutic cannabis varieties signify a profound advancement in medicinal therapy. But what is it about these marijuana strains that make them so groundbreaking in the realm of patient care?
The key to understanding the impact of medical marijuana strains lies in the cannabinoids and terpenes present in each plant. Cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, influencing various physiological processes to achieve desired effects such as pain relief or anti-inflammatory benefits. Moreover, terpenes contribute to the aroma and may modify the effects of cannabinoids—often referred to as the entourage effect.
Research indicates that these cannabis hybrids differ significantly in their cannabinoid profiles, allowing for tailored treatments. For instance, strains high in CBD are being used to alleviate symptoms in epilepsy, while THC-dominant strains might offer relief from severe chronic pain. Additionally, hybrids—crossbreeds designed to optimize therapeutic effects while minimizing side effects—are tailored to treat specific conditions.
The development of therapeutic hemp strains has been instrumental in enhancing the adaptability and effectiveness of medical marijuana. For example, strains like “Harlequin,” which balances THC and CBD for reduced psychoactive effects, are becoming increasingly popular for their versatility and therapeutic efficacy. Meanwhile, varieties such as “ACDC,” known for its high CBD-to-THC ratio, provide significant relief without the high, making them suitable for long-term use in conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
While the benefits are clear, the use of medical marijuana strains is not without its challenges. Variability in individual responses, potential psychoactive effects, and legal restrictions in some areas can pose barriers to effective treatment. As such, healthcare professionals and patients must work closely together to identify the most appropriate therapeutic approach, considering factors such as dosage and strain selection. For those interested in cultivating their own plants, understanding how to grow medical marijuana can be beneficial and ensure consistent access to desired strains. More information on this can be found here.
As the cannabis industry continues to evolve, a plethora of innovative marijuana strains are being cultivated specifically for their medicinal properties. One such example is “Charlotte’s Web,” a high-CBD, low-THC strain that gained fame for its effectiveness in treating pediatric epilepsy, particularly Dravet Syndrome. This strain’s low THC content ensures minimal psychoactive effects, making it a suitable option for patients requiring potent therapeutic benefits without the high.
Another noteworthy strain is “Cannatonic,” known for its balanced CBD-to-THC ratio that provides a calming effect along with pain relief. This particular strain is often used to manage chronic pain conditions, stress and muscle spasms. Additionally, “Ringo’s Gift,” a hybrid of “Harle-Tsu” and “ACDC,” is celebrated for its high CBD content, offering anti-inflammatory properties beneficial for arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
The introduction of new medical marijuana strains is fundamentally altering the landscape of patient care by offering more personalized and effective treatment options. Traditional pharmaceuticals can fall short in addressing the unique needs of individual patients due to their generalized approach. In contrast, cannabis strains can be tailored to target specific symptoms or conditions, thereby enhancing therapeutic outcomes.
For instance, individuals suffering from PTSD often find relief with high-CBD strains, which can mitigate anxiety without inducing paranoia. Furthermore, the ability to breed strains with specific cannabinoid profiles allows for the customization of treatments, such as using high-THC strains to manage acute pain or to improve appetite in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Such precision in managing health conditions is driving a shift towards a more patient-centered approach in healthcare.
Decoding the effectiveness of various medical marijuana strains involves a combination of scientific research, patient feedback, and clinical trials. One primary method is cannabinoid profiling, which involves analyzing a strain’s chemical composition to determine its dominant cannabinoids and terpenes. This chemical blueprint helps researchers predict the strain’s potential therapeutic effects and suitability for specific conditions.
Clinical studies also play a crucial role, as they provide empirical evidence of a strain’s efficacy and safety. For example, longitudinal studies tracking patients using specific strains for conditions like chronic pain, epilepsy or multiple sclerosis can offer valuable insights into long-term benefits and potential side effects. Furthermore, patient-reported outcomes contribute to understanding which strains are most effective for various symptoms, influencing future breeding and strain development.
Medical marijuana strains serve a unique role in innovative health treatments by acting as adaptable therapeutic agents capable of addressing a spectrum of health issues. Unlike conventional drugs, which typically target a single pathway or symptom, cannabis strains can offer multifaceted benefits due to their complex chemical composition. This diversity allows them to act on multiple physiological systems simultaneously, providing holistic relief.
In mental health, for instance, cannabis strains high in CBD can promote anxiety relief and mood stabilization without the dependency risks associated with some pharmaceuticals. In addition to treating symptoms, these strains can also support adjunctive therapy, enhancing the effects of existing medications or minimizing side effects. Moreover, the adaptability of cannabis through strain-specific breeding continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in medical treatments, opening doors to novel applications in pain management, neurological disorders, and beyond.
As the understanding of the plant’s genetics and therapeutic potentials deepens, the future of medical marijuana looks promising. Innovations in strain development continue to expand the spectrum of conditions that can be managed or treated. With ongoing research and patient advocacy, the acceptance and integration of cannabis in medical treatments are set to grow, thereby broadening the conversation about how best to utilize these powerful plants in healthcare.
In conclusion, medical marijuana strains are indeed revolutionizing patient care. As they continue to evolve, these strains offer a dynamic tool for managing health conditions with increasing precision and effectiveness. Whether through the development of balanced cannabis hybrids or condition-specific therapeutic hemp strains, the potential for these medicinal cannabis types is vast and promising.
Amid a growing interest in natural health remedies, the spotlight is increasingly being cast on CBD oil. Once primarily associated with its controversial cousin THC, CBD oil is gaining recognition for its myriad wellness benefits. As people search for alternatives to conventional medicine, the unexpected advantages of this “green elixir” could prove revolutionary. Key among these is the compound’s potential to significantly enhance well-being, as demonstrated by both scientific studies and anecdotal reports.
Central to the appeal of CBD oil is its ability to interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, influencing a range of physiological functions. Among the documented cannabidiol advantages is its potential to provide natural pain relief. Unlike some pharmaceutical options, CBD oil offers a non-addictive alternative that many find essential for chronic pain management. With growing evidence supporting therapeutic cannabis effects, millions are discovering that it offers more than just pain alleviation.
Additionally, CBD oil is gaining traction as an effective tool for managing stress and anxiety. By promoting neurotransmitter activity, it helps to stabilize mood and enhance feelings of well-being. This means that individuals coping with the pressures of modern life have a natural option that does not carry the same risks of dependency or side effects as traditional therapies.
The versatility of hemp extract uses extends beyond pain and anxiety management. Emerging research suggests that CBD oil may offer benefits for neurological health, potentially providing protective effects against degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Early studies indicate that CBD can reduce inflammation and serve as a neuroprotectant, supporting the body’s defense system.
Moreover, the oil’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties make it a promising candidate for skincare. By reducing redness and irritation, CBD-infused products are becoming popular among those seeking a more natural approach to skincare. The therapeutic effects of cannabis extend to dermatological benefits, helping to soothe conditions such as acne and eczema.
For further insights on navigating the complex landscape of these products, consider understanding the broader context such as the cost vs benefits of seed-to-sale software.
While enthusiasm for CBD oil is well-founded, it’s important to approach its use with a balanced perspective. The majority of scientists advocate for more comprehensive research to definitively establish the full scope of CBD oil benefits. As of now, regulatory hurdles and limited large-scale studies mean that medical claims must be framed carefully.
Acknowledging these gaps is crucial. While many people report remarkable improvements, individuals should consult healthcare professionals when considering CBD, especially if they are pregnant, nursing or currently prescribed medication.
One of the unexpected benefits of CBD oil is its emerging role in fostering better sleep quality. Many individuals struggling with sleep disorders such as insomnia have found relief through CBD, which helps in easing anxiety and decreasing chronic pain, common culprits of sleep disruption. Unlike traditional sleep aids, CBD offers a non-habit-forming alternative, promoting a natural sleep cycle without the grogginess associated with over-the-counter solutions.
Additionally, CBD oil has shown promise in easing symptoms associated with PTSD and other trauma-related conditions. Its ability to regulate neurotransmitters can mitigate the intensity and frequency of flashbacks and panic attacks, offering a sense of calm and security to those affected. This is particularly revolutionary considering the typically long-term and complex treatment protocols these conditions require.
CBD oil contributes to overall wellness by supporting the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which plays a critical role in maintaining physiological balance. The ECS influences functions such as mood, appetite, sleep and immune response. By interacting with ECS receptors, CBD can help maintain homeostasis, promoting a sense of well-being and balance.
Furthermore, CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties can play a complementary role in physical health by reducing inflammation and pain associated with athletic injuries or chronic conditions like arthritis. This makes CBD an attractive alternative for those seeking to maintain their active lifestyle without relying on traditional pain medications, which often come with adverse side effects.
One unique aspect of CBD oil is its potential neuroprotective properties, which make it a subject of One unique aspect of CBD oil is its potential neuroprotective properties, which make it a subject of interest in the treatment of neurological disorders. The neuroprotective effect is thought to stem from CBD’s ability to prevent oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which contribute to neuronal damage. This potential makes CBD a valuable component in research focusing on diseases such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.
Moreover, CBD’s ability to promote gut health is gaining attention. By reducing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, CBD oil may help alleviate symptoms of digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s disease. This is particularly appealing as these conditions are often difficult to manage with conventional pharmaceuticals.
The term ‘green elixir’ aptly describes CBD oil’s potential to transform wellness paradigms by prioritizing holistic health approaches over symptom-centric treatments. By addressing the root causes of numerous health issues—from anxiety to inflammation—CBD encourages a more comprehensive understanding and management of health and wellness.
Furthermore, the integration of CBD oil into wellness practices underscores the shift towards personalized medicine. Consumers can tailor CBD use to their specific health needs, making it a personalized component of self-care regimens. This potential for customization may revolutionize how individuals engage with their health, moving away from a one-size-fits-all model to one that respects individual differences and promotes optimal health outcomes.
In summary, the potential of CBD oil benefits in revolutionizing wellness is substantial. From providing a natural avenue for pain relief to promising applications in neurological protection and skincare, CBD is emerging as a versatile ally in the pursuit of health. As the science progresses and more individuals share their positive experiences, this “green elixir” will undoubtedly continue to garner interest and potentially contribute significantly to holistic wellness practices in the future.
Tracking cannabis around your facility from seed to sale can be hard. And while seed-to-sale software certainly makes this job easier, the job would be much harder if it weren’t for hardware integrations.
We strongly recommend mapping out a seed-to-sale implementation floor plan – it only takes about one hour to complete and can save thousands of dollars in renovation costs or application amendment wait times. From there, you can more easily identify what hardware you need – and where you need to put it in your facility – to maximize efficiency and save costs.
Something we have found to always be true is that nobody likes doing renovations on a brand new facility, and no one likes waiting for a cannabis license any longer than they have to.
Although a floor plan is not a legal requirement, it’s a smart business decision that will reduce a lot of the stress that naturally comes with starting a cannabis production facility.
Creating a floor plan is a crucial step to take when preparing for the implementation of your seed-to-sale solution. The goals of this floor plan are to map out which hardware pieces will go into which rooms, to minimize unnecessary time spent sharing hardware between rooms, and to estimate how much hardware you will need based on your facility size. It’s best to do your floor plan before you complete the construction of a new facility so that you can plan for environmental and technical requirements, including the provision of ethernet ports, electrical outlets, and space.
Under Health Canada regulations, you must have designated rooms in your facility for specific cannabis production activities. Each of these rooms requires its own hardware, or access to hardware from a nearby location.
While hardware can be shared between rooms to minimize spending, it could easily cost you more in the long term if employees are having to walk far distances throughout the day just to retrieve a scanner or pick up a label from the printer. You also don’t want to store expensive hardware in rooms where temperature and humidity can fluctuate often, such as the grow room and dry room. Doing so will result in hardware malfunctions or inaccuracies, and will likely need to be replaced well before its shelf-life is over.
The amount of hardware you will require for seed-to-sale implementation almost entirely depends on your facility size and expected production output. A micro-cultivator can have everything in one room, while a standard licence holder will need hardware present in several rooms.
The following is our hardware estimation for an average size standard licence holder, based on what we have seen with our own customers after more than 100 seed-to-sale implementations.
Location: Mother room.
Description: Prints plant loop labels to be wrapped around individual plants.
Location(s): Harvest room, Shipping/Receiving area.
Description: Prints user tags, inventory tags, batch tags, room and location tags and plant stickers.
Location: Shipping/Receiving area.
Description: Prints case labels and shipping labels for wholesale orders.
Location(s): Mother room and Packaging room.
Description: Scanners make it easy to record and report on a plant’s movement throughout a facility by scanning barcodes that will update that plant’s data in your seed-to-sale software application. It can also be used to scan bottles, rooms, user IDs, scales, and customer orders.
Location(s): Harvest room and Packaging room.
Description: A precision scale must be able to accurately weigh products to .01 of a gram. Typically, the more volume a scale can measure at a single time, the more expensive the scale will be.
Location: Destruction room.
Description: Used to weigh material that will be destroyed at least once per month.
Once you have a good understanding of the application of printers, scales and scanners, it’s time to map out how many you will need.
It’s important to determine how much you’re willing to spend on hardware before jumping into your floor plan. This will help you strategically place certain hardware pieces in rooms where it can be quickly accessed if your budget does not allow for unlimited hardware. Next, list out which hardware pieces you think will work best for your facility and budget.
Using a file editing tool, such as a PDF editor, take your facility’s floor plan and make annotations on where each piece of hardware will be stationed. If your facility is still under construction, this is a crucial time to make sure your rooms will have enough ethernet ports and electrical outlets.
Now that you can visualize where your hardware will be stationed, run through your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or alternative operational guidelines for your cultivation, processing and packaging processes. If you have the option, physically move between rooms and perform seed-to-sale activities like tagging individual plants, creating batches, and packaging a mock customer order.
After completing the walk-through, evaluate how much time could be saved if you didn’t have to walk to and from rooms just to use a piece of hardware. After that, you can use a simple cost/benefit analysis, based on hardware and labour costs, to determine if adding more hardware is worth the investment from long-term savings. It’s also possible that you won’t need as much hardware as you initially thought. We’ve seen both scenarios happen while working with our clients.
If you have not yet submitted an application, it’s also possible to switch rooms around to make for a more seamless workflow between rooms. However, if you have already submitted your application, making application amendments for your rooms may put you to the back of the licensing queue.
The best time to do a seed-to-sale implementation floor plan is around halfway through your facility’s construction phase. This timing allows you to have a clear blueprint for where rooms will be located, but also allows enough time to make changes to rooms if need be (assuming you have not submitted your Health Canada application yet).
It’s also important to note that you should not move scales around. Each time you move a scale, you will need to re-calibrate it, which can take up to thirty minutes for each calibration.
Even if you have already planned for everything we mentioned above, a floor plan will still improve your seed-to-sale software implementation process. Your staff will have a document outlining where each hardware piece should go and the role each piece plays in tracking and reporting, leading to greater institutional knowledge efficiency.
Like any major software purchase, evaluating seed-to-sale software vendors for a cannabis facility can be complicated. While you need a tool that solves your unique problems, you’re also going to be choosing which company you trust the most with critical business data. Balancing these two tasks is where it can turn from complicated to confusing, as no seed-to-sale provider is perfect for every cannabis facility. Some providers may claim to have flashy features and integrations, but lack the proven experience of operating in a highly regulated market. Other vendors may check all the boxes, but it can be difficult to tell if you’re overpaying for features you may not need.
To help you get started, we compiled the 12 questions to ask seed-to-sale vendors when considering a purchase. The answers to these questions will help uncover more about each vendor than their website, marketing materials, and demos could ever show.
Not only will many different employees use seed-to-sale software, you’ll definitely have some power users in the tool on a daily basis. With that in mind, you will want the platform you select to be easy to learn and use. This will result in less training time required, less time dealing with support calls and tickets, and overall more productive and happy employees.
Some providers’ software is only designed for specific states or country regulations. It’s important to make sure that the provider is not only compliant in your current operating territory, but also in the territories in which you want to expand. This will save thousands of dollars in switching costs later on if your provider prevents you from entering new markets.
All seed-to-sale providers facilitate the tracking of a plant’s movement within a cannabis facility, but not all automatically generate compliance reports. This leaves too much room for human error, which can ultimately result in a license suspension or termination. Choose a provider that automatically generates compliance reports based on your tracking data and you will significantly reduce the likelihood of human error affecting your reports.
Imagine signing a software contract for a great price, only to find out it can’t integrate with your printers, scales or scanners. It’s basically a glorified version of excel at that point, as you would have to push laptops around your facility on a cart, while manually inputting data. If you want to avoid this, make sure the vendor can integrate with the proper tracking hardware.
To learn more about hardware integrations, read How to Optimize Seed-to-Sale Implementation for Your Cannabis Facility [link to floorplan blog]
When regulations change, and new revenue opportunities are created, will your seed-to-sale provider be ready? You want your business to grow, and your provider should too. That’s why it’s important to ask if your provider updates their software according to regulatory changes and can scale with you as you grow.
No matter which vendor you select, your team will have questions, encounter challenges, and need some help along the way to get the most out of the seed-to-sale platform. Waiting for tickets to be solved, or waiting for the support team to call you back can greatly slow down your operation. This is why a strong customer support team is one of the most important factors to consider when evaluating providers. To find vendors support and customer service reputations, you can look at software review sites, ask vendors during demos what their support offerings are, or ask peers within the cannabis industry what their experience has been like.
Beyond typical data security, any company dealing with medical cannabis patient information must take the furthest possible security measures. Ignoring data security could result in massive losses in trust from competitors or legal action from customers and government bodies. If there has been a data-breach in the past, look into how the company handled it. Did they act fast and compensate customers, or were they left to deal with the damages on their own? This is why you will want to research each vendor’s security history, and specifically ask how they will protect your data.
If you plan on selling to medical cannabis patients (in Canada specifically, as other countries have different systems), you will need an eCommerce website that is integrated with your patient database. This is to ensure patients don’t order above their monthly prescriptions and to stay on top of reporting requirements. There are additional complexities introduced at this stage, such as shipping, fulfilment and payment processing. This means that you have to set up each of these functions individually or use an eCommerce store builder that can integrate with seed-to-sale software. To simplify this integration, certain seed-to-sale providers offer eCommerce features as a part of their offering.
Hardware calibrations, user-permission setup, and training for specific roles are just a few of the activities you need to complete during seed-to-sale implementation. Having a designated account manager visit your facility will make implementation run much more smoothly, and will empower your employees to use the software quickly.
Listening to customers and acting on their insights should always be a top priority for software providers. An easy way to find out if your provider does this is by asking to see version release notes, and software update history. There’s also a major difference in fixing bugs vs. improving the user experience of the software by building new features and simplifying routine tasks. You can uncover this by asking the provider to give examples of major upgrades they have made over the past couple of years. Are they making major improvements and benefiting their customers, or just addressing symptoms of problems with fake fixes?
While there are more and more seed-to-sale vendors entering the market each year, it can be hard to distinguish the difference between them based on websites and demos alone. Sometimes social proof is the best proof. Look at the customer logos and testimonials from each provider to help form your opinions on their reputations. Better yet, ask industry peers what their experience has been like with their seed-to-sale vendor. There is certainly value in knowing that others are succeeding and enjoying their experience with a seed-to-sale vendor you are considering using.
Ample Organics builds technology that helps companies compete in the highly regulated cannabis industry. Our seed-to-sale software has been powering cannabis facilities like Aurora, Aphria, and Organigram for more than five years, and we now service over 100 standard cannabis licence holder sites within Canada.
We’re known for our experienced team of cannabis experts, data security, and white glove customer support. We also work with licence holder applicants by providing support documentation that can be used in your Health Canada application.
If you’re ready to learn more about seed-to-sale software and how we help power cannabis companies just like yours, book a demo in the box below.
The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to leave Canadian cannabis consumers sheltered at home. While some consumers continue to choose retail stores as their go-to source, many have switched to ordering cannabis online. According to recent reports from Statistics Canada, cannabis sales surged by over 25% during the early stages of COVID-19 lockdowns, driven by increased online purchasing and shifting consumer behaviors.
Ordering cannabis directly to your home is a safer practice during COVID-19, and consumers are enjoying the benefits of eCommerce, such as no waiting in line, no commute to the store, and more product selections available.
At the same time, reopening strategies are being realized province to province, and new sales trends have emerged that continue to reshape cannabis purchasing behaviours. In March, Canadian license holders quickly pivoted their strategies to prioritize operational efficiencies and explore the various new sales channels required to service their customer communities.
The pandemic has also changed the amount of money consumers are spending on cannabis, as the industry experienced a sales boom near the start of lockdowns. Now that the stockpile effect is wearing off, sales are balancing out, and we’re returning to normalcy, or a new version of it. During the height of COVID-19, many consumers shifted spending toward bulk purchasing and experimenting with edibles, concentrates, and higher-priced premium products, as confirmed by the Ontario Cannabis Store’s 2020 Insights Report.
The Canadian cannabis industry adapted quickly and new technologies were employed to facilitate digital sales channels, enable direct-to-consumer delivery, and curbside pickup—a wave of change that, like social distancing, may just remain a new long-term normal.
While there is a lot of uncertainty today, one thing can be noted: consumer sentiments may have shifted permanently. License holders and retailers who don’t focus on building an eCommerce platform with the ability to reconcile inventory quickly may fall short on revenue if they’re forced to rely on retail store traffic.
The importance of having a seed-to-sale software solution in place with built-in, easy to configure, user-friendly eCommerce capabilities has never been greater. Today, new data reports, including one issued by the Ontario Cannabis Store, are proving that online sales are soaring, with medical cannabis and edibles sales volumes still on the rise.
The Future of Cannabis Retail and eCommerce in Canada
To meet the increased demand of eCommerce sales, licence holders may look to acquire a medical sales licence, or focus more on growing their current medical sales program. With the continued evolution of consumer habits shaped by COVID-19, investing in digital infrastructure and regulatory compliance remains essential for long-term growth in the competitive cannabis marketplace.
But how do you do that if your current seed-to-sale software doesn’t facilitate medical sales tracking, an online store, shipping, payments, and everything else that comes with eCommerce, combined with the complexities of Health Canada regulations?
Read our article on the three most common cannabis eCommerce platforms and find the best fit for your business.
Whether you’re waiting for your sales licence or have just received it, it’s important to know your eCommerce options, how they can integrate with your seed-to-sale software, and the implementation work that will be required. Understanding cannabis eCommerce options in Canada is crucial for license holders navigating the evolving digital marketplace landscape.
These tips can help your business become part of the new cannabis retail landscape and avoid getting stuck in the old one.
Below, we cover the three most common options licence holders have when starting an eCommerce store and a medical sales program.
Certain seed-to-sale vendors, like Ample Organics, offer integrated eCommerce platforms with their software packages. The value of an integrated solution is that Health Canada’s required tracking, as well as the eCommerce store, can be managed on the same system. This makes the flow of data easy and accurate when it comes to medical patient information and tracking sales data.
There are also cost savings included with seed-to-sale vendors that provide eCommerce platforms. Rather than paying for medical sales functionality from your seed-to-sale vendor, plus all of the eCommerce store and integration costs, our platform comes with a turn-key eCommerce site. The site can be easily custom-branded and automatically feeds data into the Ample Organics platform.
Current eCommerce providers involved in the cannabis industry, such as Shopify, are sometimes used for cannabis eCommerce stores. This option will likely require some custom development work to allow your eCommerce store to “speak” with your seed-to-sale software in order to pass on patient data, such as prescription verification and limits. The eCommerce store will also need to pass sales data to the central tracking location to be used later in compliance reports.
The difficult parts of managing an eCommerce store will be handled by the third-party vendor, but it comes at a cost. Typically, the cheapest platforms start at $500/month for hosting, take 2-3% sales commission, and run a high compliance risk, considering the platforms are not built to handle the nuances of online cannabis sales.
Retailers and license holders who succeed throughout the remainder of 2020 won’t be able to attribute their success solely to the creation of beautiful storefronts that prime foot traffic or to relying on front-and-center brand exposure. Instead, ensure you have eCommerce capabilities with a variety of payment options, a user experience designed to drive conversion, and seamless integration with your inventory management system. Exploring cannabis eCommerce options in Canada will help you identify the right platform and features to maximize your online sales potential.
Retailers and license holders who succeed throughout the remainder of 2020 won’t be able to attribute their success solely to the creation of beautiful storefronts that prime foot traffic or to relying on front-and-center brand exposure. Instead, ensure you have eCommerce capabilities with a variety of payment options, a user experience designed to drive conversion, and seamless integration with your inventory management system.
What can you do to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in your cannabis facilities and retail stores? We’ve compiled some of the processes that have been adopted by Canadian companies managing employee and public safety while supporting an increased sales volume as Canadians stock up on cannabis. We’ve also included resources and key takeaways from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Government of Canada, and the World Health Organization (WHO) that can help keep you and your employees safe.
Infrastructure, an excerpt from Canada.ca:
Government of Canada
Cleaning guidelines
CDC
How to Protect Yourself
Handwashing tips
Coughing and sneezing etiquette
Government of Canada
Risk-informed decision-making guidelines for workplaces and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic
Resources for Canadian Businesses
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and risks
WHO
Getting Your Workplace Ready for COVID-19
Canadian Cannabis Regulations require that cannabis is tested for microbial and chemical contaminants, ensuring that the cannabis consumers receive is safe for consumption.
As a result of strict standard operating procedures that include the regular use of personal protective equipment, cannabis producers are in a good position to protect their employees. Some companies, including Hexo Corp., are donating N95 masks and personal protective equipment to Canadian healthcare workers, while Organigram “has committed to donate 500L of ethanol from [their] production production facility to be repurposed into hand sanitizer for distribution within [their] local health care network in New Brunswick.” Industry leaders like John Slaughter of High North Laboratories, Daniel Sax of Sensi Properties, and George Smitherman of the Cannabis Council of Canada, are actively reaching out to the government to highlight the potential of cannabis facilities and laboratories to assist with combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this time of anxiety and hardship, it is easy to see the strength of our community. We hope that you all stay healthy and stay hopeful.
Have you ever wondered how cannabis travels through the supply chain? “Seed-to-sale tracking” plays an important role in this process, but do you know what it means, or how it works?
For cannabis regulators like Health Canada, supply chain information is crucial to maintaining a safe, compliant, and competitive cannabis industry. This supply chain data is provided to Health Canada by every cannabis licence holder that is operational in the country, thanks to the help of “seed-to-sale” software.
“Seed-to-sale” is a term unique to the cannabis industry and refers to the tracking and reporting activities that cannabis licence holders are required to follow in order to maintain compliance and stay licensed. Among other things, these requirements help to prevent cannabis from moving between the “black” (or “legacy”) market and the legal market.
Seed-to-sale software is also commonly referred to as cannabis track and trace software or simply cannabis software.
In short, seed-to-sale software helps cannabis companies ensure they stay licensed. From a high-level, this is accomplished by tracking the lifecycle of every gram of cannabis produced and/or processed in a facility, to the point where it is sold, either to a vendor or directly to a medical patient.
Most cannabis regulations only allow you to do specific activities in specific rooms, for example, growing, drying, trimming, and packaging. Considering there are typically thousands of different cannabis plants in a single facility growing at different stages, you may be wondering how it’s possible to track each plant’s movement throughout a single cannabis facility. This is why seed-to-sale software integrates with hardware devices that make the job much easier, like mobile scanning guns, scales, and printers. These hardware integrations, in conjunction with barcodes and tags, make it easy to record and update all related data in a licence holder’s seed-to-sale application.
In addition to improving efficiency, seed-to-sale software is designed to help cannabis businesses easily generate compliance reports for regulatory bodies.
Once all the tracking and sales data is passed to the seed-to-sale application, it’s easy to see an overview of:
Even though the primary purpose of seed-to-sale software is to create reports to keep compliance with cannabis regulations, it captures valuable data that business owners can use to make informed decisions.
Cannabis licence holders are the primary audience for seed-to-sale software. This includes standard and micro licence classes for cultivation, processing, medical sales, or a combination of the three. Depending on the software provider, they might only have one version of their software that will cover you from seed to sale, or modular versions of their software that do only what you need them to for your licence type.
For example, some licence holders may only want to grow fresh cannabis and let others handle the processing and selling. For this use case, you do not need to worry about processing, packaging, shipping, or eCommerce, so why would you want to pay for unnecessary software features? This is where modular seed-to-sale software packages can help you get the best business value.
The use of seed-to-sale software is not required by most cannabis regulators, leaving the cannabis licence holder to decide how they would like to satisfy the strict and complicated reporting requirements. So what are the other options available?
Although we haven’t seen this method used for quite some time, it was one of the original ways to capture tracking data before seed-to-sale software existed. Cultivation staff would physically push laptops on metal carts through the grow room as they manually updated a myriad of excel spreadsheets. This manual method was not ideal and is certainly not sustainable now, as many cannabis licence holders continue have scaled their facilities to upwards of one million square feet.
Custom-made seed-to-sale software is something we have only seen implemented at a few licence holder facilities because building them requires an incredibly large upfront investment — typically at least six figures. For most new licence holders, it would be difficult to justify this investment.
The benefits of custom software include:
Given the extremities of both seed-to-sale software alternatives listed above, almost all cannabis licence holders choose to adopt a seed-to-sale software partner from the start.
But not all software is created equally. Going with a less expensive seed-to-sale software provider with a small implementation fee may seem wise at first, but if employees don’t know how to use it or can’t properly use the platform due to glitches or bugs, you will end up spending much more to switch platforms later on.
The other important aspects of strong seed-to-sale software are security and data accuracy. The former is crucial for protecting private medical patient data, while the latter is key to keeping your licence. It’s not enough to simply use seed-to-sale software. It must be used responsibly and accurately, or your reports could risk having inaccurate data and result in a suspended or terminated licence.