Why do dispensaries scan ID Reddit

When I was intake and would get a fake ID I would just tell the person my system doesnt recognize the ID and I legally cant let anyone in if the system cant read an ID. I apologize and tell them if they have a passport I can accept that and that they should contact the DMV by email about their ID not scanning and a temp ID will be issues that we can accept... and that can all be done online then I hand them their fake-ass ID back.

They typically just say okay and walk away.

If they argue then I have reason to believe maybe there is an issue with my scanner. Typically if its fake they wont try to argue it. Which point Ill assess if the ID looks new or worn, if it says the holder is 21-22 or if it says they are like 38. If its worn and they are in their 30s or 40s there is a chance my scanner is having an issue. Then my boss or lead can make the call. Its not often but we have 1 or 2 people whos ID wont scan but the ID is clearly years old and the person is clearly 40+ like their ID says.

Mostly though its a brand new ID that says the holder is 21 or 22 and once I hand it back and say "scanner cant scan it" they walk away. Just say you legally cant let anyone in if it wont scan and it wont scan. Tell them to come back with a passport. Dont tell them you think its fake. Just that it wont scan and must be an issue with it but nothing you can do.

I’ve worked at 3 different mass rec dispo’s. None of that data is shared with the government. The scan is to make sure that the ID isn’t fake. It is NOT to collect your name and put you in a govt watchlist and, frankly, that notion is kind of absurd.

Per state law, there must be 2 ID checks, one at the door and one at the point of sale. That is state law, nothing we can do about that. Every dispensary is like this, Rec or medical.

For the love of god, don’t be a jerk to the workers about this. All the time people give us a hard time for following compliance and laws. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth with some people.

Bottom line, the data collected (which in my experience is name for purchase history and sometimes phone number for text updates) is never shared and never leaked, short of a data breach but hackers would be better off targeting places that’ll have more information, like banks or whateva.

In the last week of October, per the CCC, 667,661 cannabis product "units" were sold to Adult Use customers across the state. If the average customer is picking up 4 units during their trip (Leafly thinks 1, but let's be super generous), this would mean about 166,000 residents bought cannabis at a dispensary last week.

Let's assume you're right and that Maura Healey has all this data and is going to crack down.... what will she do? Put 166k people in jail? Fine them? Actively pull their other state or federal certifications? Go after their good name? Another 166k will likely buy next week, and more the week after. NPR believes that 20% of MA residents have bought from a dispensary. That's 1.2 million residents. That's a lot of voters.

The cat is out of the bag. The toothpaste has left the tube. To make cannabis illegal again, in this state or in any legal state, would be insane. Too many people are touched, too much money is at stake. It's a big business now with lots of corporate folks and lawyers behind them (no, we don't have to like it). As of Sept 1, over $415 MILLION in taxes have been raked in by the state. Neither Baker, nor Healy, nor anyone wants that tax line to go away.

It's ok - and good practice - to be worried about who has access to your data and what they are doing with it. But, worrying that the state AG is going to use this against YOU is probably not worth your time. Worry about what the dispensary does with your data. Ask if it's secured in the same way CVS, Amazon, Best Buy, or Reddit stores your data (there are laws). Worry about a data breech.

I'm assuming you're asking because you like to brag you're a "law abiding gunowner" during discussions of sensible gun restrictions but your also a fiend for mind altering narcotics and you know that if you want to buy more guns you have to swear under penalty of perjury you do not use illegal drugs. The state police have made several announcements and you can also look at the law as it was written:

Section 10-20

Identification; false identification; penalty.     (a) To protect personal privacy, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall not require a purchaser to provide a dispensing organization with personal information other than government-issued identification to determine the purchaser's age, and a dispensing organization shall not obtain and record personal information about a  purchaser without the purchaser's consent. A dispensing organization shall use an electronic reader or electronic scanning device to scan a purchaser's government-issued identification, if applicable, to determine the purchaser's age and the validity of the identification. Any identifying or personal information of a purchaser obtained or received in accordance with this Section shall not be retained, used, shared or disclosed for any purpose except as authorized by this Act.

You probably could initially get away with lying on the form but you can no longer honestly claim you are a "law abiding gun owner".