Massachusetts Dispensary and State Commission Disagree On Inventory Issue

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap] Massachusetts-based dispensary and the state’s cannabis commission are at odds over what drove the business to close for recreational sales last week.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission disagrees with a statement put out by a Salem, Massachusetts dispensary which had to close for recreational sales last week due to inventory issues. The dispensary claims the inventory data became corrupted in the state’s mandatory system.

“This is preventing us from transferring recreational inventory from our cultivation and product manufacturing facility (or from third-party vendors) into the Salem dispensary,” said Alternative Therapies Group in a blog post. “The METRC support team and the Cannabis Control Commission have been working hard to correct the problem, but it is a time-consuming and complex process.”

However, the Control Commission is rebuking the statement, saying that the issue was due to an error made by the dispensary and that the state’s mandatory seed-to-sale tracking system is still fully functional.

“Alternative Therapies Group’s adult-use supply issues are the result of improper inventory management practices and the challenges are limited to their operations,” the commission said in a statement. “The Cannabis Control Commission remains confident in the tracking system’s ability to detect discrepancies in the data, which licensees upload, that signal when potential public health and safety risks may exist. To prevent diversion, the sale of contaminated products, and other issues, Commission investigators will continue to regularly inspect marijuana establishments to ensure they tag, upload, and trace all inventory correctly.”

Alternative Therapies Group began selling recreational cannabis in December and is still open for medical cannabis sales. It is one of nine dispensaries operating in the state and the state’s first medical cannabis dispensary.

Alternative Therapies Group’s executive director Chris Edwards stated the Salem issues will not affect the upcoming dispensaries in Salisbury and Amesbury.