The D.C. Council has unanimously approved emergency legislation extending conditional medical marijuana licenses and expanding enforcement authority against businesses selling marijuana or other controlled substances without authorization.
The council approved the Medical Cannabis Licensing and Unlicensed Establishment Enforcement Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 in a 13-0 final vote. The measure was transmitted today to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has until August 6 to respond.
Introduced by D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, the legislation would extend conditional licenses for medical marijuana cultivation centers, retailers, internet retailers, manufacturers, couriers and testing laboratories from two years to as long as three years.
A one-year conditional license that was active as of December 17, 2024, and automatically converted into a two-year license would become a three-year license at no additional cost or require further approval from the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board.
The legislation would also allow conditional license applicants to submit a zoning certificate rather than a certificate of occupancy when applying for a permanent license. Conditional license holders would remain prohibited from purchasing, possessing, cultivating, manufacturing or selling medical marijuana or other controlled substances until receiving permanent authorization.
The bill clarifies location restrictions for medical marijuana retailers and internet retailers. Businesses generally could not operate within 400 feet of a preschool, primary or secondary school or recreation center. Applicants who filed before December 17, 2024, would remain subject to a 300-foot restriction, with additional exceptions for certain businesses that applied during the District’s designated application period.
The measure would broaden the definition of an unlicensed establishment to include businesses that sell or deliver Schedule I controlled substances or products containing those substances. It would allow enforcement actions regardless of whether a business has a license application pending before the board.
The Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) could summarily close and padlock an unlicensed establishment without a prior hearing when inspectors determine that it presents an imminent danger to public health or safety. Closures and product seizures could continue when officials reasonably determine that the danger is likely to recur.
Similar enforcement authority would apply to licensed medical marijuana establishments engaged in certain unlawful activities. ABCA investigators would also be authorized to test products for THC content and, when supported by probable cause, determine whether other substances contain Schedule I drugs.
Because the proposal is emergency legislation, it would take effect following approval by the mayor and remain effective for no longer than 90 days. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser remains the District’s sitting mayor.
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