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A Comprehensive, Up-to-Date Guide to BioTrack New York

Emily Wanless
  • Updated

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Due to changes in state regulations regarding BioTrack THC, we've received numerous questions from customers in New York. This post clarifies how Canix complies with the new rules in these states to keep our staff and customers informed.

Does Canix Support New York?

Yes! Canix is a leading cannabis ERP provider in New York. We currently serve dozens of customers in New York and have more prospective customers in New York awaiting license approvals. Our team is committed to providing a seamless integration and ensuring compliance with state regulations through our platform.

Understanding BioTrack's Role in New York vs. Other States

BioTrack is a Seed-to-Sale (STS) system that tracks the lifecycle of cannabis from the time a plant is planted through harvest, processing, packaging, laboratory testing and sale of completed cannabis products to consumers. To ensure regulatory compliance, all licensees are required to secure an electronic inventory tracking system, like Canix, that is capable of integrating with the NY STS Tracking System (BioTrack).

BioTrack plays a crucial role in the government’s regulatory framework for cannabis in 11 different states. However, the specifics of implementing BioTrack's API and its requirements differ significantly from state to state.

BioTrack has specific configurations and regulatory structures in states like New Mexico and Illinois, which differ from those in New York and Florida. Though, BioTrack's New York configuration aligns very closely to Florida, which Canix already integrates with. These variations can affect how operators integrate with the system, report their inventory, and comply with state regulations.

Licensing Requirements

By January 17, 2025, licensees must obtain a 3rd party inventory tracking system capable of integrating with the NY API. Canix provides a flexible and compliant option for those seeking comprehensive ERP solutions that satisfy state regulatory requirements and enhance operational efficiency. To notify the OCM of your intention to use Canix, send us an email and we'll provide you with the contact information for your application.

In terms of using BioTrack Commercial in New York, operators are not obligated to use that specific platform. 

The OCM has not yet communicated a timeline for when data needs to be submitted to the state STS (BioTrack) from your chosen vendor. 

Are there exceptions to having an inventory tracking system?

No. Pursuant to Section 78 of the Cannabis Law, licensees are required to purchase and use
their own electronic inventory tracking system. Licensees have flexibility in the vendor and
system they wish to use, but the system that is used must be able to transmit data to OCM’s
system (BioTrack).

New York API Support

The BioTrack API documentation was released for New York on November 18, 2024, facilitating the integration process for Canix and other third-party providers. Canix is prepared for New York's API by previously integrating with BioTrack's Florida API, which is 95% similar. Canix is well-positioned to quickly adjust our existing integration as more communication is released from BioTrack and the OCM in order integrate with New York in Q1 2025.

Initial Inventory Upload Process

Canix will provide a specialized importer tool to convert your existing Canix inventory and facility to a BioTrack connected facility. Active plant, harvest and package inventory, and facility data will be mapped to BioTrack's concepts and will be reviewable by you and your team before uploading to your BioTrack facility. This tool will be available at a later date once more guidance on tags and timelines is provided by BioTrack and OCM.

Canix's implementation and support teams will be available to assist as you convert your facility once the New York API integration is live. You will have a period of time to correct your data after the initial upload if anything is incorrect, and that period of time will be communicated by BioTrack and OCM at a later time.

How to Use Canix's New York BioTrack Integration

Canix's New York BioTrack integration aligns very closely with your existing New York standalone facilities. By aligning terms and workflows in Canix across state integrations, we've reduced the training time for your teams to get up to speed on BioTrack. Canix will communicate timing and availability for webinars at a later date, with company-specific training available as needed. 

For an idea of how Canix will support BioTrack in New York, you can see the current Florida integration help center documentation here.

Tag Purchasing Requirements

Licensees will be required to purchase 16-digit identifiers (tags) that integrate with BioTrack, based on their license type. Tags must be applied to all plant and package lots. OCM will cover a total of $250,000 in tag purchases across licensees at the launch of the project. Additional details will be made available as them program is rolled out with the vendor and licensees. 

OCM is working with BioTrack to outline the process for obtaining the unique 16-digit identifiers from BioTrack. More information will be provided once available. You can review the information provided by BioTrack in April 2024 here to help you prepare for the upcoming integration.

Tags can be purchased in blocks of 1,000, 5,000, or 10,000. Each will cost $0.10 per tag. Tags are unique to your UBI (company). Below are example use cases where tags must be used.

Cultivators

I am a Cultivator. I am planting 100 plants of Sour Diesel. This will require 100
tags for a total of $10.00.
When I harvest and cure these 100 plants, which results in the following: dry flower,
other material, and waste. This requires 3 tags, for a total of $0.30, and
leaves me with:
- 15,000 grams of dry flower
- 5,000 grams of other material
- 5,000 grams of waste

Next, I destroy the 5000 grams of waste. This requires no additional tags.
I have an order from a processor for 1000g of dry flower and 500g of other
material. I split 1000g of dry flower, which requires a new tag. I split 500g
of other material (split package), which requires a new tag for a total of $0.20.

Growing, curing, harvesting 100 plants, and splitting out an order of dry flower
and other material to a Processor costs $10.50

 

Processors

I purchased 1000g grams of dry flower and 500 grams of other material from the
above Cultivator. These were received with tags already on the packaged inventory from the sending cultivator facility, and these do not need to be changed at the point of receiving the inventory.

I use 1000 grams of dry flower to make 955 pre-rolls. This requires one barcode for all 955 pre-rolls. ($0.10)
I use 5 pre-rolls to create a QA sample. This requires one barcode for the 5 pre-rolls. ($0.10)
The QA results will be attached to the parent batch and any child packages of the
parent batch by BioTrack automatically.

I split the 950 prerolls into eighteen case quantities of 50 prerolls per case. This requires 18 additional barcodes (1 tag per case for $1.80 cost).
*This is the point at which you should start labeling finished goods, after splitting from the parent batch. This will allow finished goods to be ready and easily added to a manifest.

I use the 500 grams of other material to make an extract, creating 50 grams of extract. This requires one new tag for the new extract created($0.10).

I use all 50 grams of this extract to make edibles. Each package of edibles has 10
servings of 10mg of THC each for a total of 100mg of THC. I created 455 packages of edibles. This requires one tag to represent all 455 edible packages. ($0.10)

I create a QA sample of 5 packages of these edibles and send them for QA testing. This requires one new tag for transferring the 5 edible packages. ($0.10)
The QA results will be attached to the parent batch and any child packages of the parent batch.

I split the remaining 450 edibles into 8 cases and each case has 50 edibles (1 tag per case for $0.80 cost)

 

Will I still need to submit routine inventory reports after integration with the NY-API?

Since licensee integration with NY-API will be completed in stages, some transfer of inventory will likely take place between a non-integrated licensee to an integrated licensee. To ensure cannabis products can be monitored by OCM as they move through the supply chain, licensees must continue to submit routine inventory reports until the Office advises otherwise. Additional guidance on how to report transfer of cannabis inventory between integrated and non-integrated licensees will be released by OCM and BioTrack at a later date. Licensees must ensure all supplemental record keeping such as manifests and invoices are available for inspection upon request.

 

How will licensees and OCM be able to see quantities sold in a certain time frame as opposed to quantities remaining?

Sales information needs to be entered into your selected inventory tracking system and transmitted via API to OCM’s BioTrack system. OCM will be able to view the information in BioTrack as it is received by the licensees’ inventory tracking system.

How to track sales from cultivator to processor licenses

As inventory is transferred out of a cultivation license to a processor license, the inventory tracking system will need to show record of the inventory that has been transferred out to the processor’s inventory. The processor receiving the inventory will need to record the inventory as a received transfer. 

Will I need to switch from using the OCM transportation manifest to using the BioTrack manifest after integration?

You can continue to use the OCM Transportation Manifest, or Canix's transfer manifest. Canix will send transfers to BioTrack, but this electronic manifest is not a replacement for the physical manifest. Transportation manifests are a requirement set forth in Section 125.10(g) of Title 9 Part 125 General Operating Requirements and Prohibitions.

 

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