Legislation to make 4/20 a marijuana tax holiday, including the days leading up to and after it, has been approved by the Washington D.C. Council.
Bill 25-0760 was given unanimous approval yesterday by the full council through a voice vote. The ordinance was filed by Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie on behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“The popular tax holiday is critical to the District’s effort to attract qualifying patients back to the legal market as well as sustainable and viable medical cannabis program,” says Councilmember McDuffie. The ordinance makes medical marijuana entirely tax-free starting April 15 and ending April 28. April 20, which falls in-between those dates, has been the unofficial marijuana holiday for decades.
The ordinance also extends the validity period for medical marijuana patients and caregivers to six years, and it gives the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration’s (ABCA) the authority to shutdown unlicensed dispensaries.
“[The ANCA can] summarily close an unlicensed retailer where the continued operations of the unlicensed retailer presents an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the public,” says Mayor Bowser.
Although recreational marijuana possession is legal in D.C., only medical marijuana dispensaries are allowed to distribute marijuana, and only to patients. This is because federal lawmakers continue to support a provision blocking D.C. marijuana sales.
