D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced that the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) enforcement efforts over the past six months have led to the closure of 25 unlicensed cannabis retailers in the District.
In partnership with the District Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), OAG’s Civil Enforcement Section (CES) has brought actions against a total of 38 unlicensed establishments illegally selling cannabis products, many of which were tainted with other narcotics and posed an imminent threat to District residents’ health and safety.
“For too long, unlicensed cannabis stores have been illegally selling unregulated, untested products that put District residents’ safety at risk,” said Schwalb. “All so-called ‘gifting shops’ were given ample time to apply for legal medical marijuana licenses, but many failed or refused to do so.”
In 2023, the D.C. Council passed legislation expanding the District’s medical cannabis system and providing a legal pathway to bring gifting shops into the regulated medical cannabis marketplace. Additional legislation then gave OAG and ABCA the authority to bring civil enforcement actions against establishments that fail to apply for medical licenses and continue operating in the illegal gifting market.
In July, ABCA began issuing cease-and-desist orders to unlicensed businesses, and in September, with OAG’s collaboration, successfully closed the first shop that failed to comply, Supreme Terpene. Since then, shops such as Capital Budz, Capital THC and the Nomad Smoke Shop, all located in Southeast, have been closed or have come into compliance with the law thanks to joint District enforcement action.
“OAG, ABCA, and MPD have partnered to shut down these illegal retailers,” Schwalb said, “demonstrating our collective commitment to ensuring that every store selling cannabis products in the District complies with the law and plays by the rules.”