The Need for Trusted Age Verification For Cannabis Sales

The move to legalize cannabis has come a long way. In the past, marijuana was only allowed for medicinal purposes. But despite being authorized for medicine use, there are still a lot of fees and regulations that must be followed. Fortunately, at present, cannabis is recognized for both medicinal and recreational use in various states in the USA. Currently, 16 states have legal marijuana markets for adult recreational use, while 37 states allow cannabis to be dispensed for medical treatments.

This progress has significantly contributed to the growth of the industry. In findings shared by the cannabis market research firm BDSA, the development of cannabis use has surpassed the projected figure of $16 billion, potentially reaching an estimated $18 billion.

As the legal market for marijuana continues to grow, licensed vendors have to watch out on who they will sell their products to. The responsibility of preventing underage individuals from obtaining this drug lands on their shoulders. They must comply with age restriction regulations whether they operate in person or through courier delivery.

That being said, sellers of cannabis online had to set up verification for age and identity proofing to ensure that only individuals aged 21 and above could acquire their products. Typically, websites are equipped with an age gate, a virtual barrier intended to keep persons from specific age groups away from their website. However, these age gates can easily be bypassed as they only usually come in pop-up messages without any additional processes to confirm whether or not the information entered was legitimate. Because of this, age gates are seen as an ineffective way of validating one’s age and identity.

Fortunately, modern technology has advanced features that can help solve this problem. Biometric identification is the most recent effective method of verifying identity. Through biometrics, vendors can now require their customers to submit a selfie and their government-issued identification to confirm the validity of their information.

As the cannabis market continues to grow, it is understandable why dispensaries must verify their customers’ identities. More detailed information about this topic can be found in this infographic created by authID.