Salem Recreational Marijuana Shop Suspends Sales

SALEM, MA -- A recreational marijuana dispensary in Salem was forced to suspend sales after discovering "corrupted" data in a state system designed to track plants from seed to sale using RFID technology. In a blog post, Alternative Therapies Group offered no definitive timetable for when sales might resume. The store, which opened in December, is one of nine recreational marijuana facilities currently operating in the state and was the first to open in greater Boston.

The state has a contract with Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance, or METRC, to maintain the database. "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," ATG said on its Website.

"The Commonwealth’s mandatory seed-to-sale tracking technology, Metrc, remains 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," Executive Director Shawn Collins said. "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."

The problems are preventing ATG from tracking marijuana as it moves from its production facility to the dispensary for sale to recreational customers. The company, which also operates a medical marijuana dispensary in Salem, said those customers are not affected.

"We deeply regret that we will not be able to honor recreational customers, even those with scheduled appointments, until further notice," ATG said.

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Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).