A Statewide Tracking System that Regulated a New Industry
In Brief
Effective regulation starts with the right infrastructure.
When voters passed Measure 91, the Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission (OLCC) was mandated to regulate a brand-new cannabis industry without any existing processes or technology. Every grower, processor, transporter, and retailer had to be licensed, inspected, and monitored. Every individual cannabis plant required tracking from cultivation through retail sale.
Together, OLCC and Resource Data launched a multi-year project to implement marijuana licensing and seed-to-sale tracking systems. The project became the first to successfully complete Oregon’s new Stage Gate governance model. The systems enabled regulatory oversight for one of the nation’s most complex new markets.
Key Takeaways
How Oregon Turned a Voter Mandate into a Regulatory System
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First statewide project to pass Oregon’s Stage Gate Review Process
The OLCC cannabis project became the first in the state to successfully move from initiation through closeout under Oregon’s newly implemented Stage Gate Enterprise Implementation governance model.
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Regulatory systems built while rules were still evolving
While regulations were still being finalized, our analyst translated new laws and administrative rules into clear processes and system requirements.
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One integrated solution to regulate an entire industry
By pairing a statewide cannabis licensing system with METRC’s seed-to-sale tracking, OLCC brought Measure 91 to life in daily operations. Together, the systems tracked licenses, inspections, and product movement, enabling compliance enforcement, diversion prevention, and public safety.
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Independent oversight significantly reduced vendor and delivery risk
Acting as a third-party guide, Resource Data provided objective oversight of vendor deliverables, ensuring quality and readiness to meet all government requirements.
Our Client
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC)
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) regulates alcohol and cannabis statewide, overseeing the processing and sale of marijuana. The agency manages complex, high-volume operations, from alcohol distribution to tracking cannabis products across the entire supply chain. At the same time, Oregon introduced the Enterprise Information Systems Stage Gate Review Process to govern large IT investments.
Measure 91, enacted as Oregon’s Control, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act, designated OLCC as the agency responsible for regulating a new market. As the first agency to move a project through the Oregon’s New Stage Gate Review Process, OLCC built an entirely new regulatory program while state policies and regulatory requirements were still emerging. This project marked the start of Resource Data’s partnership with OLCC and laid the foundation for ongoing collaboration.
Challenges
No Existing Framework or Technology to Regulate a New Law and Industry
Measure 91 legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon, placing OLCC in charge of regulating, licensing, and tracking cannabis. However, no system existed to manage the regulatory burden of managing licenses for growers, processors, retailers, and delivery services or for tracking individual plants or inventory from cultivation through retail sale- seed-to-sale.
The cannabis market was emerging in real time. Legislative rules and administrative policies were still being written as OLCC’s cannabis program was taking shape. Delivering robust licensing and seed-to-sale digital systems was essential to enforce the law and monitor public safety. Without these systems, OLCC had no way to license cannabis businesses, trace cannabis production and movement across the supply chain to safeguard public health and safety.
The Solution
Measure 91 Changed the Law in Oregon. Seed-to-Sale Tracking System Made Regulation Real.
Turning Measure 91 into enforceable regulation required more than policy —it required processes and technology; two tightly integrated complex systems enabled the law.
Partnering with Resource Data, OLCC implemented the Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance (METRC), a commercial off-the-shelf seed-to-sale statewide system. METRC tracks cannabis inventory, lab testing results, and product movement across licensed businesses. METRC was integrated to a statewide licensing system that managed marijuana business applications, renewals, and permits.
These systems were implemented to operate in coordination, enabling regulatory oversight from cultivation through retail sales. OLCC gained real-time visibility into licensed businesses, inspections, and product movement, allowing enforcement, and public safety issues to be traced and addressed statewide.
Our experience working with Resource Data has been extraordinary. Resource Data was adept at working in a political policy environment and flexible with the numerous changes to the project based on legislative changes.
- Nathan Rix, Project Portfolio Director and Senior Policy Analyst of OLCC
Results
Successful Launch of the First IT Initiative to Pass Oregon’s Stage Gate Process
The first statewide project to pass Oregon’s Stage Gate Review Process, METRC, the “seed-to-sale” marijuana tracking system, established a regulatory foundation for an entirely new industry. OLCC can now license and inspect cannabis businesses and track marijuana from cultivation through processing, transport, and retail sale. Cannabis products can be traced back to their source to supports enforcement, inspection, and public safety.
What's Next
Technology That Grows with the Industry
The work completed during the implementation continues to support OLCC’s ongoing regulatory responsibilities. Building on this success, OLCC has expanded modernization efforts to other licensing and permitting programs that we continue to support.
Resource Data’s work on this project positioned the agency for scalable growth, improved compliance, and continued modernization across Oregon’s alcohol and cannabis regulatory landscape. With this foundational system in place, OLCC has continued to evolve its licensing and regulatory technology to meet a maturing market and expanding program needs.
