With public support for cannabis legalization on the rise, no less than 37 states allow it for medical use and 21 for recreational use. Most experts estimate that this is just the beginning—for the US and for other countries around the world. While this is very good news for the cannabis industry, it also means that the competition in this space is rapidly increasing.

In highly competitive and heavily regulated industries, every step of the supply chain matters and should be improved upon when possible. A lot of things happen from seed to sale: processing, extraction, packaging, testing, labeling, and more. 

Let’s see how the right video monitoring solutions can improve your cannabis supply chain, increase your efficiency, and help you stay compliant.

Why Do You Need Video Monitoring for Cannabis Extraction and Manufacturing Facilities?

The first thing that springs to mind when you think of both cannabis and video monitoring is security and surveillance. Yes, cameras can help ensure the security of your point of sale, your processing lines, and even your transports. 

But there’s so much more to the right video monitoring system and how they can improve your business processes.

1. Improve the Safety of Your Extraction Facility

Cannabis extraction is not without risks. Much like in any other extraction process that involves flammable gasses and liquids, you will have to deal with harmful vapors. Moreover, some of the extraction machines use pressures as high as 10,000 psi.

Both of these can pose serious risks to your staff and to your facility itself. The right video monitoring system can spot faulty machinery before any accidents happen. Similarly, you can have a remote operator watch the live feed and shut the line down and call in help at the first sign of an issue. 

2. Explosion-Rated Cameras for Cannabis Extraction Facilities

In most states, explosion-rated cameras are a must-have in environments that deal with flammable substances or heavy machinery. The cannabis industry makes no exception: if extraction is part of your operations, you will have to use explosion-rated cameras. 

Also known as explosion-proof cameras, these devices are built to ensure that they will not cause an explosion—not that they will survive during one as it is commonly believed. In high-risk environments, like cannabis-extraction facilities, everything that mitigates risks is important.

With explosion-rated cameras, you can still leverage the benefits of surveillance, safety, and monitoring without increasing your staff’s risk.

3. Improve Your Extraction and Manufacturing Processes

Cutting an hour of work every day could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars saved in a couple of months. Improving one single process (like the way you label your cannabis products, for instance) can also save you thousands each month.

The only problem? It’s hard to see the little inefficiencies when you’re in the middle of the manufacturing area. This is where the bird’s-eye view comes in handy: a remote operator can watch your live feed and figure out which processes waste too much time, product, or materials, or which employees need extra training. 

You can use these insights to boost productivity, improve training sessions, find ways to re-use otherwise discarded products, or eliminate the seemingly tiny but compounding inefficiencies.

4. Legal Protection and Hard Proof of Correct Procedures

Sometimes, despite the best of intentions and the best security measures, things go wrong. Accidents happen, entire batches of cannabis products get mislabeled, or there’s a contamination issue. In cases like these, a video monitoring solution can help you get to the bottom of things faster.

By reviewing the feed, you can spot the human or non-human culprit quickly. More importantly, you can use the same video feed as proof that your procedures meet state and federal standards. This way, you can avoid hefty fines and having your extraction or processing plant closed indefinitely.

Choosing the Right Video Monitoring System for Your Cannabis Extraction Facility

No two extraction facilities are identical, so there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to video monitoring systems either. The one constant is that you need explosion-proof cameras in at least a few of the areas of your facility. 

Other than that, you are free to mix and match several types of industrial cameras and video monitors, depending on the type of coverage you want in each area: some of them are bound to be focused on surveillance, while process optimization matters more in others. 

You don’t have to do all this alone. At Opticom, we are more than hardware sellers: we won’t just sell you the cameras, mounts, and monitors you need, we will help you make the right choices in terms of both needs and budget. We’ve been in this business for 50+ years precisely because all our clients are our partners.

Reach out and let’s talk about the right video monitoring system for your cannabis extraction facility.