Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced that his office's 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.
“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. OAG, ABCA, and MPD have partnered to shut down these illegal retailers demonstrating our collective commitment to ensuring that every store selling cannabis products in the District complies with the law and plays by the rules.”
In 2023, the DC 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.
During joint enforcement operations between ABCA, MPD, and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), investigators purchase and test the products, often finding cannabis that tests positive for other narcotics, including amphetamines and psilocybin. In some cases, officers have executed search warrants and recovered weapons, cash, cocaine, and other illegal drugs. After being forced to close, the owners of one unlicensed establishment twice broke into the shuttered location and changed the locks before being permanently shut down. The closure of another store led to the arrest of an owner and the recovery of over 35 pounds of cannabis flower, 22 pounds of THC edibles, 6 pounds of psylocibin mushrooms and edibles, 2 pounds of cocaine, 2 pounds of methamphetamine, $6,817.72 cash, a semi-automatic handgun, and ten dogs from the premises.
