District Of Columbia 2023 2023-2024 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill B25-0677 Engrossed / Bill

Filed 02/06/2024

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A BILL 1 
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25-677  3 
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 5 
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To amend, on a temporary basis, the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative 10 
of 1999 to provide a deadline date by which existing cultivation centers and dispensaries 11 
must file their applications with ABCA for additional medical cannabis facility licenses, 12 
to not allow a cultivation center to also hold an internet retailer license, 13 
to provide that the 2 cultivation center registration applicants that tied for second and 14 
received the same total score after submitting a medical cannabis facility registration 15 
application to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board between November 29, 2021 and 16 
March 28, 2022, be awarded a cultivation center registration, to provide that other  17 
cultivation center and dispensary registration applicants that scored 150 points or more 18 
after submitting a medical cannabis facility registration application to the Alcoholic 19 
Beverage Control Board during the same open application period shall be considered for 20 
a cultivation center or retailer registration, and to allow a cultivation center and 21 
dispensary registration applicant that scored 150 points or more to change the location of 22 
its facility without otherwise affecting the status of its application.  23 
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 26 
act may be cited as the “Medical Cannabis Clarification Supplemental Temporary Amendment 27 
Act of 2024”. 28 
Sec. 2. Section 7 of the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 29 
1999, effective February 25, 2010 (D.C. Law 13-315; D.C. Official Code § 7-1671.06), is 30 
amended as follows: 31 
(a) Subsection (d) is amended as follows: 32    	ENGROSSED ORIGINAL 
 
 
 
 
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 (1) Paragraph (2) is amended by striking the phrase “retailer or online retailer 33 
license” and inserting the phrase “retailer license” in its place. 34 
 (2) A new paragraph (5) is added to read as follows: 35 
 “(5) Applications for additional licenses pursuant to paragraphs (1) through (3) of 36 
this subsection shall be filed with ABCA by the existing cultivation center or dispensary by May 37 
1, 2024.”.  38 
(b) Subsection (e)(1) is amended as follows 39 
 (1) Subparagraph (F) is amended by striking the phrase “retailer or internet 40 
retailer license” and inserting the phrase “retailer license” in its place. 41 
 (2) A new subparagraph (G) is added to read as follows: 42 
 “(G) No licensee holding a cultivation center license shall hold an internet 43 
retailer license.”.  44 
(c)  New subsections (w) and (x) are added to read as follows:  45 
 “(w)(1) The 2 cultivation center registration applicants that submitted a medical cannabis 46 
facility registration application to the ABC Board between November 29, 2021 and March 28, 47 
2022, that tied for second and received the same total score shall be awarded a cultivation center 48 
registration.  49 
 “(2) A cultivation center registration applicant not referenced in paragraph (1) of 50 
this subsection that scored 150 points or more during the same open application period shall be 51 
considered for a cultivation center registration after May 1, 2023; provided, that the applicant 52    	ENGROSSED ORIGINAL 
 
 
 
 
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files a corrected application, including an application to change the facility location, with the 53 
ABC Board by May 1, 2024. An applicant that scored 150 points or higher shall be allowed to 54 
change the location of the cultivation center facility on its application by May 1, 2024, without 55 
negatively affecting the status of the application.  56 
 “(3) An applicant that filed more than one cultivation center registration 57 
application during the open application period with one or more of the same owners shall be 58 
considered for only one cultivation center registration under this subsection.   59 
 “(4) An initial application fee paid by a cultivation center registration applicant 60 
that scored 150 points or higher shall be credited by ABCA toward the entire cost of the 61 
applicant’s cultivation center application fee. 62 
“(x)(1) A dispensary registration applicant that submitted a medical cannabis facility 63 
registration application to the ABC Board between November 29, 2021, and March 28, 2022, 64 
and received 150 points or more shall be considered for a retailer registration no earlier than 180 65 
calendar days after March 22, 2023. An applicant shall be allowed to change the location of the 66 
retailer facility on its application by May 1, 2024, without negatively affecting the status of the 67 
application.  68 
 “(2) An applicant that filed more than one dispensary registration application 69 
during the open application period with one or more of the same owners shall be considered for 70 
only one retailer registration under this subsection.   71    	ENGROSSED ORIGINAL 
 
 
 
 
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 “(3) An initial application fee paid by a dispensary registration applicant that 72 
scored 150 points or higher shall be credited by ABCA toward the entire cost of the applicant’s 73 
retailer application fee.”. 74 
 Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 75 
 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Budget Director as the fiscal impact 76 
statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved 77 
October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).   78 
 Sec. 4. Effective date. 79 
(a) This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by 80 
the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review 81 
as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December  82 
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1), and publication in the District of 83 
Columbia register.  84 
 (b) This act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect. 85