District of Columbia: Market and legal data of the cannabis sector

26th June 2023: US - Washington DC: The federal ban on Washington DC's ability to regulate cannabis sales would be renewed under a Fiscal Year 2024 spending bill that passed a congressional panel. The ban, which prohibits the District from using local tax dollars to establish a commercial cannabis market, has been included in the spending bill by Republicans, who hold House majority. Despite the legalisation of cannabis possession and home cultivation by DC voters in 2014, the ban has persisted each year as part of the final spending packages. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) expressed outrage at the anti-home rule riders in the bill, including the cannabis ban, which restricts the city's ability to set its own policies.
24th March 2023: US - Washington DC: Bill 24-0113 has passed federal congressional review and is now enacted as L24-0332 after being signed into law by the mayor, Muriel Bowser, in January, press reports. The bill aims to increase access to medical cannabis by allowing patients to obtain cannabis from any dispensary in the district, permitting delivery and kerbside pickup, and increasing the number of licensed dispensaries.
1st February 2023: US - Washington DC: Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed Bill 24-0113 into law. The bill aims to increase access to medical cannabis by allowing medical cannabis patients to obtain cannabis from any dispensary in the district, permitting delivery and kerbside pickup, and increasing the number of licensed dispensaries.
25th January 2023: US - Washington, DC: The Council of the District of Columbia has passed Bill 24-0113, and it now goes to the mayor for final approval. The bill would aim to increase access to medical cannabis by allowing medical cannabis patients to obtain cannabis from any dispensary in the district, allow delivery and curbside pickup, and increase the number of licensed dispensaries.
21st December 2022: US - Washington DC: The federal omnibus spending bill contains a long-standing provision (Section 809) that prohibits the federal government from spending any federal funds on legalising or reducing the penalty for possession or distribution of Schedule I substances or any THC derivative, which effectively blocks Washington DC from implementing its recreational cannabis programme. Though this provision has been included in the omnibus spending bill the last several years, a House version of this year’s spending bill would have allowed Washington DC to implement a cannabis legalisation ballot initiative that voters passed in 2014. The district, however, found a clever way to increase access to cannabis when it enacted a measure in July 2022 that allows residents to self-certify a medical need for cannabis in order to access medical cannabis.
21st October 2022: US - Washington, District of Columbia: Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed into law an emergency act that allows "non-resident cardholders" to self-certify as medical cannabis patients and obtain medical cannabis. The act defines a "non-resident cardholder" as "a person who is not a resident of the District of Columbia, who is not currently enrolled in another jurisdiction's medical marijuana program, and who has submitted documentation required by [Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration] for a temporary 30-day registration card and has received confirmation of registration". This essentially allows tourists who self-certify to obtain medical cannabis if they register in advance.
7th July 2022: US - Washington DC: Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed into law the Medical Marijuana Self-Certification Emergency Amendment Act of 2022, which allows DC residents to self-certify that they need cannabis for medical purposes without recommendation by a doctor. Over-21s can self-certify using a form provided by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) and obtain cannabis at medical dispensaries. The law is effective immediately but for only 90 days as an emergency act, though it could be implemented permanently. DC residents voted to legalise recreational cannabis in 2014, but the federal government has blocked them from implementing a recreational programme.
29th June 2022: US - Washington DC: The District of Columbia Council has approved a bill to allow adults (21+) to purchase cannabis by self-certifying that they will use it for medical purposes, press reports. The bill, which aims to cut down on illicit cannabis “gift shops” and bring more people into the medical cannabis system, is expected to be approved by the mayor.

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