Washington’s Transition to State-Run Seed-to-Sale Platform ‘Less than Smooth’

Washington state’s transition from Leaf Data Systems (LDS) to a state-run seed-to-sale system has been “less than smooth,” according to a Marijuana Business Daily report. The State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) made the announcement to abandon the failed LDS project earlier this year in favor of a new state-operated database, known as the Central Reporting System (CRS).

Legal cannabis operators say the new system is buggy, costing licensees thousands of dollars in revenue in extra employee hours.

“The idea that this was all magically going to come together in the matter of a few months was just a pipe dream,” Bob Ramstad, owner of OZ Recreational Cannabis, said in the report. “Doing all of this during the holidays is just downright cruel.”

In a press release, the LCB said that “as with any new system, there can be challenges that arise when using a new technical resource.” The agency said it “appreciates the patience and partnerships happening now as employees and licensees move forward on the new reporting system.”

Ramstad, however, is not as optimistic, telling MJ Biz Daily that “the new system isn’t working at all.” He added that retailers have confided in him that they may have to spend upwards of $20,000 extra per month in labor costs to fix CRS problems. Some processors, he said, have quit shipping orders because their third-party traceability software is not working.

David Busby, CEO of Seattle-based software company OpenTHC, agreed, telling MJ Biz Daily that “the new system is not working that great”.

“Everything takes longer, there are more mistakes, processes have to be repeated, we’re all stuck waiting for the LCB system to get online.” — David Busby via Mj Biz Daily

Leaf Data systems will go dark on December 18 at 5 p.m. The LCB’s most recent notification indicates that “once Leaf is decommissioned, the state will receive the system’s final data backup.

“If licensees need to access Leaf data to complete their initial CCRS uploads,” the agency said, “the window to gather that information from Leaf closes on Saturday.”