METRC Tag Management — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a METRC UID tag assigned to a cannabis plant?
- To uniquely identify and track the plant throughout its entire lifecycle in the seed-to-sale system (Correct answer)
- To display the plant's projected harvest weight for compliance inspectors
- To record the grower's license number for law enforcement reference
- To serve as a receipt proving the plant was purchased from a licensed nursery
Correct answer: To uniquely identify and track the plant throughout its entire lifecycle in the seed-to-sale system
METRC UID tags provide a unique identifier that links the physical plant to its digital record in the tracking system, enabling state regulators to trace the plant from propagation through harvest or destruction.
Question 2: A METRC plant tag is physically damaged and unreadable. What is the correct course of action?
- Record the loss in the system, order a replacement tag, and assign the new tag to the plant as soon as it arrives (Correct answer)
- Destroy the plant immediately because it can no longer be tracked
- Reassign a spare tag from another plant that was recently harvested
- Continue operations and report the damaged tag at the next scheduled inspection
Correct answer: Record the loss in the system, order a replacement tag, and assign the new tag to the plant as soon as it arrives
Operators must report the lost/damaged tag, order a replacement through the METRC portal, and re-tag the plant. Reusing tags from other plants or ignoring the issue are compliance violations.
Question 3: In METRC, who is authorized to order new UID tags for a licensed facility?
- The facility administrator with appropriate system permissions (Correct answer)
- Any employee with a METRC login at that facility
- Only the state cannabis regulatory agency
- The METRC-certified compliance officer at the facility
Correct answer: The facility administrator with appropriate system permissions
Only users with facility administrator-level permissions can place tag orders through the METRC portal. This access control ensures accountability for the tags issued to each licensed location.
Question 4: Which statement about METRC package tags is correct?
- Each packaged product must have exactly one unique METRC tag that stays with that package until it is sold or destroyed (Correct answer)
- A single METRC tag can be shared between multiple packages if they contain the same strain
- Package tags may be removed once the package is transferred to another licensee
- METRC package tags are optional if the facility maintains its own internal barcode system
Correct answer: Each packaged product must have exactly one unique METRC tag that stays with that package until it is sold or destroyed
Every METRC package requires its own unique UID tag that remains attached throughout the package's life. Sharing tags, removing them after transfer, or substituting internal systems are all violations of METRC requirements.
Question 5: When a tagged plant is destroyed due to disease, what must happen to its METRC tag?
- The destruction must be recorded in METRC and the tag retired; it cannot be reused on another plant (Correct answer)
- The tag must be mailed back to the state cannabis regulatory agency within 30 days
- The tag may be reassigned to a new plant of the same strain to maintain continuity
- The tag is automatically deactivated by METRC after 90 days with no activity
Correct answer: The destruction must be recorded in METRC and the tag retired; it cannot be reused on another plant
When a plant is destroyed, the event is recorded in METRC and the associated tag is retired. METRC tags are single-use — they cannot be transferred to another plant, as this would break the chain of custody.
Question 6: A cannabis cultivator receives a shipment of new METRC UID tags. What is the first required step before using them?
- Verify the tags are associated with the correct licensed facility in the METRC system before assigning them to any plants or packages (Correct answer)
- Scan each tag into the facility's internal POS system to create a local inventory record
- Submit a tag receipt form to the state regulatory agency within 24 hours of delivery
- Store the tags in a locked safe until a compliance inspector can verify the shipment
Correct answer: Verify the tags are associated with the correct licensed facility in the METRC system before assigning them to any plants or packages
Before tags can be used, the operator must confirm they are correctly linked to their licensed facility in METRC. Using tags assigned to a different facility is a serious compliance violation.
METRC Tag Management
What is the primary purpose of a METRC UID tag assigned to a cannabis plant?