SAINT JOHN, N.B.—The vice-president of business development at Shoppers Drug Mart says blockchain technology can provide a comfort level for doctors and pharmacists about the quality of medical cannabis.

Ken Weisbrod says his company has signed a deal with TruTrace Technologies for a pilot program to provide the software to track medical cannabis from seed to final product.

He says the source of medical cannabis must be traceable and accountable for patients and practitioners to feel confident about it as a treatment.

Weisbrod says when a patient takes medication, there is an expectation that it is standardized and has been proven with consistent clinical outcomes and results.

Shoppers Drug Mart currently provides medical cannabis to patients, but only online.

The first phase of the pilot program is expected to be completed by July 31 with full implementation targeted for late November.