How Blockchain Can Revolutionize Cannabis Traceability: Part 2
From seed to sale, traceability is critical for ensuring compliance and safety in the cannabis industry. Find out how blockchain technology can make it easier.
Introduction:
In Part 1 of this blog series, we discussed the importance of traceability in the cannabis industry and how blockchain technology can be used to improve it. We introduced a project to build a system that can fetch data from Cantrak, a seed-to-sale system used by many cannabis companies, and write it to the blockchain via an API. In this post, we will discuss the implementation of Cantrak in more detail and the challenges we faced in integrating it with the blockchain.
Implementation of Cantrak:
As a seed-to-sale system, Cantrak is designed to help cannabis companies track cultivation data along with critical details required for GACP/GMP, such as assets, equipment, and tools used in tasks. It also helps monitor costs and yield for companies.
Cantrak is developed using APIs, which allows data to be easily fetched for further processing. For this blockchain integration project, we implemented the inventory management, cultivation, harvest, production, and sales functions of Cantrak. Let’s take a closer look at each of these functions:
- Inventory Management: This function was implemented to track the seeds and clones used for growing, along with their lot numbers. This allows for a detailed record of the source of the plant and its lineage, which is crucial for traceability.
- Cultivation: The cultivation function was used to create a unique name and number for each plant lot, as well as track the number of plants in each lot. This function helps to monitor the growth and yield of each plant lot, which is important for quality control.
- Harvest: The harvest function was implemented to record the yields of the harvested products and update the inventory accordingly. This function is crucial for tracking the product through the supply chain, as it provides a record of the amount of product produced and where it came from.
- Production: The production function was used to record the process of drying cannabis flower, which is a critical step in the manufacturing process.
- Sales: Finally, the sales function was implemented to track the sales of the products, which allows for a complete record of the product’s journey from seed to sale.
Role in Traceability:
By implementing Cantrak with blockchain technology, we have created a system that can play a critical role in traceability in the cannabis industry. The system ensures that every step of the supply chain, from seed to sale, is transparent and secure. The blockchain provides an immutable and tamper-proof record of all data, making it easier to track and verify information. This can help prevent fraud, ensure compliance with regulations, and maintain the safety and quality of the product.
Challenges Faced:
During the implementation process of Cantrak, challenges were faced to ensure good quality of data was recorded. Users had to be trained properly to ensure that all data was being entered correctly. However, Cantrak was fairly straightforward to implement for this particular project and we were able to overcome any challenges quickly.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, integrating Cantrak with blockchain technology has created a system that can enhance traceability in the cannabis industry. By tracking every step of the supply chain with transparent and secure data, the system can ensure compliance with regulations and maintain the safety and quality of the product. However, it is important to note that proper training and education are critical for ensuring the success of such systems. In Part 3 of this blog series, we will dive deeper into the technical details of how Cantrak’s data is integrated with Polygon Blockchain, also how we use ChatGPT to build this project. Stay tuned!
