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Data Dashboard Glossary and Notes

Data Dashboard Glossary and Notes

Accessing the Data Dashboards

Some data dashboard elements may be obscured or distorted when accessed on a small screen such as a smartphone. For the best experience, we recommend accessing the data dashboards on a device with a large display such as a computer or laptop. You can view a dashboard in full-screen by selecting the square “Full Screen” button in the bottom right-hand corner of each report. You may also export an image, PDF, or PowerPoint of a dashboard by selecting the “Download” button in the bottom right.


Sales Reports Glossary

Data Sources

The information contained in the accompanying tabs was derived from data entered into the California Cannabis Track-and-Trace system by licensed cannabis businesses. The Department does not make any warranties or guarantees regarding the accuracy of the source data.

Sales Years

Sales Years are combined into calendar years (e.g. January 1 – December 31).

Sales Quarters

Sales Quarters are collections of three months of a given year. The quarter numbering is oriented around a calendar year (e.g. Q1 – January 1 – March 31; Q2 – April 1 – June 30; Q3 – July 1 – September 30; Q4 – October 1 – December 31).

Item Groups

A collection of different individual item categories  consolidated into common item groups. The individual item categories from the Department’s track and trace system are grouped as follows:

  • Edible
    • Edible (volume – each)
    • Edible (volume)
    • Edible (weight – each)
    • Edible (weight)
  • Extract/Concentrate
    • Extract (volume – each)
    • Extract (volume)
    • Extract (weight – each)
    • Extract (weight)
    • Kief (weight)
    • Other Concentrate (volume – each)
    • Other Concentrate (volume)
    • Other Concentrate (weight – each)
    • Other Concentrate (weight)
    • Infused Butter/Oil (volume – each)
    • Infused Butter/Oil (volume)
    • Infused Butter/Oil (weight – each)
    • Infused Butter/Oil (weight)
  • Flower
    • Flower (weight)
    • Flower (packaged – each)
    • Flower (packaged eighth – each)
    • Flower (packaged gram – each)
    • Flower (packaged half ounce – each)
    • Flower (packaged ounce – each)
    • Flower (packaged quarter – each)
    • Shake (weight)
    • Shake (Packaged Eighth – each)
    • Shake (Packaged Gram – each)
    • Shake (Packaged Half Ounce – each)
    • Shake (Packaged Ounce – each)
    • Shake (Packaged Quarter – each)
  • Plant
    • Immature Plant (count)
    • Clone – Cutting (count)
    • Clone – Tissue Culture (count)
  • Pre-Roll
    • Pre-Roll Flower (count)
    • Pre-Roll Infused (count)
    • Pre-Roll Leaf (count)
  • Seeds
    • Seeds (weight)
    • Seeds (each)
  • Tincture/Capsule
    • Capsule (weight – each)
    • Capsule (weight)
    • Tincture (volume – each)
    • Tincture (volume)
    • Tincture (weight – each)
    • Tincture (weight)
  • Topical
    • Topical (volume – each)
    • Topical (volume)
    • Topical (weight – each)
    • Topical (weight)
  • Vape
    • Vape Cartridge (volume – each)
    • Vape Cartridge (weight – each)
  • Other
    • By-product (volume)
    • By-product (weight)
    • Fresh Cannabis Plant
    • Leaf (weight)
    • Spent Biomass (volume)
    • Spent Biomass (weight)
    • Waste (weight)

Item Categories

Item Categories are classifications that define the type and quantity type of a cannabis good. When a retailer makes a sale, the Item Category of the cannabis good sold is captured. Item Categories can be count-based, weight-based, or volume-based, depending on the cannabis good and measurement type. In some circumstances, some Item Categories may be discontinued over time and others may be introduced. In these circumstances, dramatic changes in trend lines may appear. In such cases, this represents a change in data entry procedures and not a data error or actual industry trend.

Count-based Categories – “Each”

Count-based categories track the unit of measurement that is either one whole unit (such as a pre-roll or seed), a weight-based unit (such as an eighth ounce of flower or 1 gram of concentrate), or a volume-based unit (such as 16-ounce beverage). With count-based categories, the quantity of a cannabis good within each count can vary, depending how the base measurement of the “each” is defined by the licensee. A major exception to this is the cannabis flower and cannabis shake item categories. These categories have pre-defined weight-based measures, such as “Flower (packaged eighth – each)”. For this Item Category, every “each” is one-eighth ounces, or 3.5 grams of cannabis flower.

Weight-Based Categories

Weight-based categories track the weight of a cannabis good. This can be measured in grams, kilograms, milligrams, ounces, or pounds. The actual weight of an Item Category is defined by the licensee. Common weight-based categories include solid cannabis edibles, vape cartridges (e.g., 0.5g or 1g), and concentrates.

Volume-Based Categories

Volume-based categories track the volume of a cannabis good. This can be measured in fluid ounces, gallons, liters, milliliters, pints, or quarts. The actual volume of an Item Category is defined by the licensee. Typically, liquids are measured by volume-based categories. Volume-based item categories include things like vape cartridges, liquid edibles (e.g., cannabis beverages), tinctures, and topicals.

Price Per Unit

The calculation for price per unit for Item Categories and Item Groups is Total Sales divided by the Total Units sold. However, it is important to note that an individual unit within an item category can vary based on the weight, volume, or count, as it is defined by the licensee. For example, a single pre-roll unit could mean one, individual 0.5g pre-roll, or it could mean a package of 6 1g pre-rolls. A single edible unit could mean one 10mg gummy, or 100 5mg mints. Therefore, many of the price per unit calculations are averages of units of unknown quantities. A major exception is the price per unit calculations for flower (packaged – each) and shake (packaged – each), as these have pre-defined weights associated with them that do not vary. Additionally, discounted prices for individual units are not adjusted. The actual price at the time of sale for a unit is not adjusted after the fact. For example, if a retailer offered a buy-one-get-one for one cent offer, the price for the individual unit sold at the discounted price of one cent is reflected as one cent and not adjusted in the source data.

Customer Type

When entering a sale in track and trace, a retailer can indicate that a customer is a “consumer”, “patient”, or “caregiver”. “Consumers” are adults 21 years of age or older that do not identify themselves as medicinal cannabis patients or caregivers. “Patients” are individuals 18 or older who identify as a medicinal cannabis patient by displaying a physician’s recommendation or Medical Marijuana Identification Card. “Caregivers” are individuals who are designated by a qualified medicinal cannabis patient to obtain cannabis on their behalf.

It is important to note that the customer type data is likely not reflective of the total number of medicinal cannabis patients as many medicinal patients who are 21 or older may not identify as such at time of purchase. The primary times an individual might identify as a medicinal cannabis patient are (1) when shopping at a medicinal-only retailer (where proof of a physician’s recommendation is required), (2) when seeking to purchase products with higher THC concentrations than are allowed in the adult-use market, (3) when seeking to purchase more cannabis than is allowed under the adult-use daily purchase limit restrictions, or (4) when seeking to obtain the sales and use tax exemption by presenting a medical marijuana identification card.

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Harvest Report Glossary

Data Sources – The information contained in the accompanying tabs was derived from data entered into the California Cannabis Track-and-Trace system by licensed cannabis businesses. The Department does not make any warranties or guarantees regarding the accuracy of the source data.

The Report consists of data from 2020 – 2023.

Harvest Years

Harvest Years are combined into calendar years (e.g. January 1 – December 31).

Harvest Quarters

Harvest Quarters are collections of three months of a given year. The quarter numbering is oriented around a calendar year (e.g. Q1 – January 1 – March 31; Q2 – April 1 – June 30; Q3 – July 1 – September 30; Q4 – October 1 – December 31).

Facility Type

Licensed cultivators are grouped into one of five different categories: indoor, outdoor, nursery, mixed-light, and microbusiness.

  • Indoor – means the cultivation of cannabis within a permanent structure using exclusively artificial light or within any type of structure using artificial light at a rate above twenty-five watts per square foot.
  • Outdoor – means the cultivation of mature cannabis without the use of artificial lighting in the canopy area at any point in time.
  • Nursery – means all activities associated with producing clones, immature plants, seeds, and other agricultural products used specifically for the propagation and cultivation of cannabis.
  • Mixed-Light – means the cultivation of mature cannabis in a greenhouse, hoop-house, glasshouse, conservatory, hothouse, or other similar structure using a combination of natural light and either of the following: (A) “Mixed-light Tier 1,” without the use of artificial light or the use of artificial light at a rate above zero, but no more than six watts per square foot; or (B) “Mixed-light Tier 2,” the use of artificial light at a rate above six and below or equal to twenty-five watts per square foot.
  • Microbusiness – means a licensee that is authorized to engage in cultivation of cannabis on an area less than 10,000 square feet and to act as a licensed distributor, Level 1 manufacturer, and retailer.

UOM

Unit of Measure. This value can be used to adjust the weight measurement in the data display. The unit of measure only impacts weight-based measurements. Adjusting the unit of measurement will not change items measured by count, such as plant count and package count.

Harvest Batch

A specifically identified quantity of dried flower or trim, leaves, and other cannabis plant matter that is harvested at the same time, and, if applicable, cultivated using the same pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.

Plant Count

The number of plants in the harvest batch.

Package Count

The number of packages made from the harvest batch.

Waste Weight

Weight of all waste produced from a harvest batch.

Moisture Loss Weight

The presumed weight attributed to moisture loss during the drying/curing process. This value will be zero until all waste from the harvest batch is recorded and all usable product is packaged.

Packaged Weight

Total packaged weight of all packages created directly from the harvest.

Wet Weight

Wet weight of all plants in the harvest batch.

Harvest County

The broader county where the cultivator, or microbusiness engaged in cultivation, is located. This is not representative of the local licensing authority (i.e. the city or county that permitted the business), just the broader county in which the business is located.

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Cannabis License Summary Report Glossary

This report shows a breakdown of the cannabis license types issued by the Department. This page includes information about the number of licenses in each license category type, license designation, license stage, and license status. By default, the report view is filtered to only show data for active licenses, but this can be changed by adjusting the license status filter.

Data Sources

The data and graphical elements in accompanying tabs are derived from data extracted from the Department of Cannabis Control’s licensing system. Licensed cannabis business owners and their employees submit applications for initial license issuance, renewals, and changes in operations. Department of Cannabis Control staff review and approve these applications. The licensing system also utilizes automated business rules and batch processes to adjust license statuses and other system values.

Licensing source data used for these dashboards is refreshed weekly.

Keyword Search

This text-field allows the user to enter information to filter the data displayed. Users can search by license number, license category (such as “cultivation”), license stage, city, county, ZIP code, license type, license designation, license status, and other values.

License Type

The category of the license(s) held by the business. Department-regulated license types are identified in the Department’s regulations.

License Category Type

Groupings of license types based on similar business activities. The breakdown of what License Types fall into which categories follows:

License CategorySub-CategoryLicense Type
DistributorDistributorDistributor Transports cannabis between licensees; may package and label some cannabis items; arranges for regulatory compliance testing on cannabis; provides storage services.
Distributor – Transport OnlyDistributor – Transport Only Transports cannabis between licensees; may not transport cannabis, except for immature plants, seeds, and trade samples to a retailer; may not store cannabis at their premises or hold title to cannabis under the license; may not arrange for testing; may not package or label cannabis; may not engage in wholesale.
Event OrganizerEvent OrganizerEvent Organizer Allows the license holder to apply for temporary event licenses to hold events where cannabis is sold and consumed.
MicrobusinessMicrobusinessMicrobusiness Allows the license holder to engage in cultivation (up to 10,000 sq. ft.), distribution, type 6 manufacturing, and retail sales on the same premises.
RetailerRetailer (storefront)Retailer (storefront) Brick and mortar “storefront” retailer – may sell cannabis goods at premises and via delivery.
Retailer Non-storefrontRetailer Non-Storefront Non-storefront retailer – may sell cannabis goods via delivery only.
Testing LaboratoryTesting LaboratoryTesting Laboratory Tests cannabis.
CultivationIndoor CultivationCultivation – Specialty Cottage Indoor Indoor cultivation site with 500 square feet or less of total canopy.
Cultivation – Specialty Indoor Indoor cultivation site with between 501 and 5,000 square feet of total canopy.
Cultivation – Small Indoor Indoor cultivation site with between 5,001 and 10,000 square feet of total canopy.
Cultivation – Medium Indoor Indoor cultivation site with between 10,001 and 22,000 square feet of total canopy.
Cultivation – Large Indoor Indoor cultivation site with more than 22,000 square feet of total canopy.
Outdoor CultivationCultivation – Specialty Cottage Outdoor Outdoor cultivation site with up to 25 mature plants or 2,500 square feet or less of total canopy.
Cultivation – Specialty Outdoor Outdoor cultivation site with less than or equal to 5,000 square feet of total canopy, or up to 50 mature plants on noncontiguous plots.
Cultivation – Small Outdoor Outdoor cultivation site with between 5,001 and 10,000 square feet of total canopy.
Cultivation – Medium Outdoor Outdoor cultivation site with between 10,001 square feet and one acre of total canopy.
Cultivation – Large Outdoor Outdoor cultivation site with more than one acre of total canopy.
Mixed-Light Tier 1 CultivationCultivation – Specialty Cottage Mixed-Light Tier 1 Mixed-light cultivation site with 2,500 square feet or less of total canopy (without the use of artificial light or the use of artificial light at a rate above zero, but no more than six watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Specialty Mixed-Light Tier 1 Mixed-light cultivation site with between 2,501 and 5,000 square feet of total canopy (without the use of artificial light or the use of artificial light at a rate above zero, but no more than six watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Small Mixed-Light Tier 1 Mixed-light cultivation site with between 5,001 and 10,000 square feet of total canopy (without the use of artificial light or the use of artificial light at a rate above zero, but no more than six watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Medium Mixed-Light Tier 1 Mixed-light cultivation site with between 10,001 and 22,000 square feet of total canopy (without the use of artificial light or the use of artificial light at a rate above zero, but no more than six watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Large Mixed-Light Tier 1 Mixed-light cultivation site with more than 22,000 square feet of total canopy (without the use of artificial light or the use of artificial light at a rate above zero, but no more than six watts per square foot).
Mixed-Light Tier 2 CultivationCultivation – Specialty Cottage Mixed-Light Tier 2 Mixed-light cultivation site with 2,500 square feet or less of total canopy (using artificial light at a rate above six and below or equal to twenty-five watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Specialty Mixed-Light Tier 2 Mixed-light cultivation site with between 2,501 and 5,000 square feet of total canopy (using artificial light at a rate above six and below or equal to twenty-five watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Small Mixed-Light Tier 2 Mixed-light cultivation site with between 5,001 and 10,000 square feet of total canopy (using artificial light at a rate above six and below or equal to twenty-five watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Medium Mixed-Light Tier 2 Mixed-light cultivation site with between 10,001 and 22,000 square feet of total canopy (using artificial light at a rate above six and below or equal to twenty-five watts per square foot).
Cultivation – Large Mixed-Light Tier 2 Mixed-light cultivation site with more than 22,000 square feet of total canopy (using artificial light at a rate above six and below or equal to twenty-five watts per square foot).
NurseryNursery Cultivation site that conducts only cultivation of clones, immature plants, seeds, and other agricultural products used specifically for the propagation of cultivation of cannabis.
ProcessorProcessor Cultivation site that conducts only trimming, drying, curing, grading, packaging, and labeling of cannabis and nonmanufactured cannabis products.
ManufacturerManufacturer – Type 6Manufacturer – Type 6 Sites that manufacture cannabis products using nonvolatile solvents, or no solvents (mechanical).
Manufacturer – Type 7Manufacturer – Type 7 Sites that manufacture cannabis products using volatile solvents.
Type N – InfusionType N – Infusion Sites that produce cannabis products other than extracts or concentrates that are produced through extraction; may package and label.
Type P – PackagingType P – Packaging Sites that only package or repackage cannabis products or label or relabel cannabis product containers or wrappers.
Type S – Shared-UseType S – Shared-Use Sites that are operated by a Type 7, Type 6, or Type N licensee in which Type S licensees are authorized to conduct manufacturing operations.

License Designation

Indicates whether the filtered license(s) are authorized to engage in adult-use, medicinal, or both adult-use and medicinal commercial cannabis activity. Not all licenses issued by the Department have an adult-use or medicinal designation – these include testing laboratory and event organizer licenses, which are listed as “other”.

License Stage

Indicates whether the filtered license(s) are annual, provisional, or interim licenses.

Days Until Expiration

The “Days Until Expiration” chart lists the number of licenses expiring within each time frame, as follows:

  • If the Expiration date is subtracted from today and falls before -30 days then this record falls in “Expired”
  • If the Expiration date is subtracted from today and falls between 0 (today) and -30 days then this record falls in “It Expired in the last 30 Days”. Licenses that have expired within the last 30 days can still be renewed.
  • If the Expiration date is subtracted from today and falls within 30 days then this record falls in “Expiring within 30 Days”
  • If the Expiration date is subtracted from today and falls within 60 days then this record falls in “Expiring within 60 Days”
  • If the Expiration date is subtracted from today and falls within 90 days then this record falls in “Expiring within 90 Days”
  • If the Expiration date is subtracted from today and falls within 120 days then this record falls in “Expiring within 120 Days”
  • If the Expiration date is subtracted from today and falls over 120 days then this record falls in “Over 120 Days”
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Data Dashboard Change Log

Date of ChangeChange Description
10/21/2024Removed outlier harvest data points due to licensee data entry errors in the Harvest Report:
  • Updated the Harvest Report, Sales & Price Per Unit Report, and Monthly Sales Summary Report with data from July through September of 2024 (Quarter 3).
  • Quarter 3 (July, August  & September) 2024: removed 4 outliers due to in accurate data entries impacting wet, packaged and current weight.
  • Quarter 4 (October, November, December) 2021: removed 1,849 outliers due to inaccurate data entries impacting wet, packaged, plant count and current weight. DCC staff identified issues with harvest data. The nature of the error was that each plant was being recorded as its own harvest, creating outliers in the data.
9/16/2024Updated the Sales & Price Per Unit and the Monthly Sales Summary reports with August 2024 data. These reports now include data from 2020 through August 2024
8/13/2024Removed outlier harvest data points due to licensee data entry errors in the Harvest Report:
  • April 2024: removed one harvest record due to wet weight and moisture loss outliers. 
  • May 2024: removed one harvest record due to wet weight and moisture loss outliers.
  • July 2024: removed two harvest records due to wet weight outliers.
8/12/2024Updated the Harvest Report, Sales & Price Per Unit Report, and Monthly Sales Summary Report with data from April through July of 2024. These reports now include data for 2020 through July 2024. 
7/29/2024Updated the Harvest Report, Sales & Price Per Unit Report, and Monthly Sales Summary Report with data from January through March of 2024. These reports now include data for 2020 through March2024.
7/29/2024Removed outlier harvest data points due to licensee data entry errors in the Harvest Report:
  • April 2022: removed one harvest record due to wet weight, waste weight, package weight, and moisture loss outliers. 
  • May 2022: removed one harvest record due to Packaged Weight outliers.
5/7/2024Updated the Harvest Report, Sales & Price Per Unit Report, and Monthly Sales Summary Report with data from July through December of 2023. These reports now include full data for 2020 through 2023.
5/7/2024Refreshed the data source for the Harvest Report, Sales & Price Per Unit Report, and Monthly Sales Summary Report for 2020, 2021, 2022, and the first half of 2023. This refresh includes licensee data updates and/or corrections made since the initial dashboard launch.
Removed outlier harvest data points due to licensee data entry errors in the Harvest Report:
  • May 2021: removed two harvest records due to wet weight and package weight outliers.
  • Jan 2023: removed four harvest records due to wet weight, waste weight, package weight, and moisture loss outliers.
  • Oct 2023: removed four harvest records due to wet weight, package weight, and moisture loss weight outliers.
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Contact Us

Questions or comments about our data dashboards? Contact us at DCCDataReporting@cannabis.ca.gov.