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A RESOLUTION
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
March 4, 2025
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend, on an emergency
basis, the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999 to clarify
the definition of an unlicensed establishment, to ensure that all unlicensed establishments
are subject to enforcement action beginning on April 1, 2025, to indicate that the current
statutory compliance exemption does not apply to unlicensed establishments that sell
Schedule I substances or products that contain Schedule I substances, and to clarify when
the ABC Board can issue a notice of summary closure to a licensed medical cannabis
establishment.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Unlicensed Establishment Enforcement Clarification Emergency
Declaration Resolution of 2025”.
Sec. 2. As of February 19, 2025, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration
(“ABCA”) and the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) have summarily closed and
padlocked 31 unlicensed cannabis establishments . At a recent Council joint committee public
roundtable held on February 11, 2025, regarding the state of the medical cannabis industry, it
was established that additional enforcement measures are needed to further assist with the
closure of unlicensed establishments operating in the District.
(b) The emergency legislation seeks to level the playing field bet ween licensed and
unlicensed cannabis businesses by clarifying that all unlicensed cannabis businesses that applied
during the statutory open application period that still remain unlicensed and operating illegally
are subject to enforcement and summary closure beginning on April 1, 2025. The emergency
legislation also clarifies that unlicensed establishments that applied during the statutory open
application period are subject to enforcement and summary closure prior to April 1, 2025, if they
engage in the sale of Schedule I substances and products containing Schedule I substances such
as psychedelic mushrooms and Dimethyltryptamine.
(c) The emergency legislation also promotes public health and safety by allowing the
Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board (“Board”) to summarily close and padlock, through
ABCA and MPD, unlicensed businesses that stop selling cannabis and cannabis products but
continue to illegally sell Schedule I substances and products containing Schedule I substances. ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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(d) The emergency legislation also promotes public health and safety by allowing the
Board to summarily close a licensed establishment that engages in illegal activity that presents an
imminent danger to the health and safety of the public after being licensed by the Board.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances, making it necessary that the
Unlicensed Establishment Enforcement Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 be
adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.