Cannabis growers expect at least 6-month delay for N.Y. tracking system

OG Article BY Kate Lisa Watch Today's LIVE Episode on X, and Rumble

and Youtube

August 20 2025

Cannabis growers said Tuesday they expect New York's seed to sale tracking system will be delayed between six months and a year as state regulators assess how an unexpected merger will impact its rollout. 

The state Office of Cannabis Management indefinitely paused the launch of its electronic Seed to Sale system that tracks the lifecycle of cannabis after company BioTrack, which is contracted with the state to manage it, announced a merger with Metrc. 

"My sources are telling me anywhere between four to six months, potentially, for integration," Kaelan Castetter, a lobbyist for the Empire Cannabis Manufacturers’ Alliance, said Tuesday after touring a cannabis farm in Columbia County. 

Castetter said depending on the product, between 20% and 50% of cannabis products illegally enter New York’s market from other states. 

That's why cannabis licensees desperately want the Seed to Sale tracking system to get off the ground.  

But cannabis growers said they've heard the delay could be up to a year. 

Cannabis Farmers Alliance President Joseph Calderone said the organization has heard it may take the new vendor, Metrc, a year to be fully operational.  

"The continued delay in implementing New York's seed-to-sale tracking system is deeply troubling for farmers and for the integrity of the legal market," Calderone said Tuesday. "The alliance went to court to force the OCM to adopt track-and-trace precisely because, without it, there is no way to ensure that only licensed, regulated cannabis is entering the supply chain." 

The collapse of wholesale prices is driven, Calederone added, by the state's lack of tracking and weak enforcement in addition to oversupply. 

"No track and trace equals no trust, and without trust, New York's legal cannabis market won't survive," he said. 

Hudson Cannabis Chief Operating Officer Lucas Seymour has worked for years in the industry in California and Canada — joining the Columbia County farm, manufacturer and processor in 2022. 

Seymour recounted issues he saw firsthand with the launch of a track and trace system in California, and said the licensees should prepare for a delay that spans at least another year. 

"If they are changing from one system to another, like the rumors are, it is most likely impossible to do it in under a year," he told Spectrum News 1 on Tuesday. "Which means, that maybe, the plants for next year's harvest will be tracked." 

OCM continues to evaluate the impact of the merger on the emerging system and licensees. Metrc may have to submit a new proposal to the state to take over BioTrack's $1.2 million contract. 

"The office is temporarily pausing the integration of the Seed-to-Sale system while we work with Metrc to evaluate next steps," OCM spokeswoman Vanessa Cheeks said in a statement. "To date, there has been no indication or determination that the program will be delayed for a year." 

The system was scheduled to be impacted in phases, with cultivators, microbusinesses, Registered Operators and laboratories Aug. 1, followed by processors Sept. 1 and finally retailers starting Oct. 1.  

It's unclear how long those deadlines will be pushed back, but OCM has said it will work with new company Metrc to stay as close to the original timeline as possible. 

"New deadlines will be communicated when project schedules are complete," Cheeks said. 

Leaders with Metrc said the company is focused on continuity, stability and collaborative planning, and is working closely with the OCM to ensure the best outcomes for the state. 

"The industry will be informed as soon as possible," according to Metrc. "Metrc has agreed to enter a strategic partnership with BioTrack, focused on their regulatory track-and-trace technology in order to improve standards and meet the growing demands of regulators, licensees, and consumers. This partnership will drive economic opportunity in the legal market while enhancing supply chain transparency and improving public safety. New York is one of the most important markets in the country and we are committed to supporting the state in establishing a transparent, secure and reliable supply chain that benefits regulators, licensees and ultimately consumers." 

OCM expects to have the full assessment completed and a determination about the system by the end of the month. 

BioTrack and Metrc are two of the main companies that lead track-and-trace cannabis systems in the U.S. But Castetter said BioTrack has seen its footprint shrink over the last few years. 

"I think this [merger] was one of the only options that they had," Castetter said. "...BioTrack was not ready [to launch Seed to Sale]. As an industry group, we had raised concerns with the prices and the practices with BioTrack for months and months and months." 

OCM learned about the merger at the last minute, and instituted the pause within days of the initial Aug. 1 launch after about a hundred licensed culitvators had been integrated under BioTrack's system. 

"We were lucky that our software integrator called us literally at eight o'clock at night the day of integration and said, 'We're going to pause your integration, and I can't tell you why, but you will know shortly," Seymour said. 

Castetter said growers and other licensees who were supposed to launch Aug. 1 should keep tagging plants so they’re ready to be traced. 

Castetter said teams of OCM officials have started randomly inspecting those licensees, and issuing warnings to licensees who stopped tagging to fix the issue within 24 hours. Fines are expected to be issued against licensees found to not be in compliance upon a second visit from OCM. 

"We asked OCM to grant farmers a grace period from penalties on canopy violations and tagging during this pause, and we appreciate that they have been receptive," Calderone said. "Farmers should not be punished when the state's own systems are not in place." 

Seymour said Hudson Cannabis staff have tagged its canopy, which is just over an acre, for the last three years to prepare. 

The indefinite pause isn’t stopping them, but it’s unclear if a new company will force licensees to buy the tags again. 

"Nobody has a financial runway that can allow for years of mistakes — things have to be fixed quickly," Seymour added. 

Leaders with BioTrack said the company plans to follow up with the department next week. 

OCM has recently come under fire for miscalculating the required distance between dispensaries and schools or houses of worship, which has put hundreds of businesses in jeopardy. 

The Seed to Sale pause is unrelated to the proximity issue, according to the department.