Trilogy Wellness of Maryland Case Study

Problem

Trilogy Wellness, a cannabis dispensary in Maryland, needed a document management solution that could keep them compliant with state and local regulations, and prevent potential fines.

With hundreds of state and local cannabis regulations, such as ensuring the correct use of scales and measurements or the proper disposal of cannabis waste surplus, the risk of liability is high for Maryland cannabis operators and distributors. Trilogy Wellness was no exception and wanted a solution that helped eliminate the risk of heavy fines and paper costs. “First aid inspections, package and labeling reviews, and inventory checks are just some of the regulatory documentation and paperwork I have to have at the ready,” explained Trilogy President and CCO, Herman Dunst. “Not just for inspections that can occur at any time, but to also keep my employees and customers safe. Just one penalty for non-compliance can cost anywhere from $5,000 - $10,000 per fine.”

Dunst also needed a way to track employee training. Some state regulations require employees to be highly knowledgeable about cannabis laws and policy standards, such as where the inventory is coming from and proper handling of the product.

Solution

Trilogy Wellness looked to PowerDMS to help their dispensary with increased efficiency and reduced liability. They save an estimated $100K per year in operational costs and potential fines.

The efficiencies and value PowerDMS provided to Trilogy Wellness in maintaining regulation standards and properly training staff saved Dunst from having to bring on additional staff. Plus, by bringing their critical content online, Trilogy saved money in reduced paper and operational costs. The combined savings averaged $100K per year. According to Dunst, using PowerDMS helps him manage all his standard operating procedures, policies, incident reports, and other critical content in one place. No updating of bulky policy manuals, hunting down certifications or keeping up with filing cabinets or paper-trails. Everything he needs is in one streamlined, online repository.

“With PowerDMS I can pull in changes from state policies and update my documents in real-time. It saves so much time and ensures my employees always have the most recent policy version available to them,” said Dunst. In addition to keeping compliant on regulations and policies, Dunst uses PowerDMS to train his staff, track their progress, and collect signatures of acknowledgment. He explained, “the employees love PowerDMS. They are very active in the software and will enter new industry trends and communications, too.”

Problem Highly regulated industry issues policy updates on a regular basis and owners must update quickly Registered dispensary agents and employees are required to be trained on federal and state laws and regulations, standard operating procedures, detection and prevention of medical cannabis diversion, and safety procedures every 12 months Regulation board makes announced and unannounced visits Crippling fines that could be levied for non-compliance

Solution Regulation changes can be pulled directly from the state, updated, and archived in PowerDMS quickly Employee onboarding, safety and incident reporting, and continuous education training is tracked for future audits and review Regulation requirements are streamlined into one repository, making it easy to show and prepare for announced or unannounced board visits Employees are accountable for their part of keeping trained and acting in compliance with state regulations

ROI

Over $100K saved in operational expenses, including employee training, onboarding costs, and salary
$5-$10K per fine saved by not breaking compliance due to lost certifications, missing policies, or outdated documents
Time saved when stopping or closing store to audits since all documents are easy to show and pull up in one repository
Revenue saved by not losing customers due to uneducated, out-of-compliance employees
Better relationships and communication between Trilogy Wellness and local law enforcement
Better transparency and relationships between Trilogy and their community