Regulators and law enforcement in Washington, D.C., closed an illegal cannabis retailer and consumption venue amid a citywide crackdown on unlicensed operators.
According to District of Columbia TV station WUSA, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) and the Metropolitan Police Department shuttered and padlocked Smoke and Cigar Lounge in Georgetown.
After obtaining a search warrant, investigators recovered numerous illicit and unregulated products, including:
- More than 9 pounds of flower and THC edibles each.
- More than 8 pounds of mushroom edibles and roughly 116 grams of mushrooms.
- 325 grams of THC resin and 700-plus grams of THC wax.
Business owners face an individual fine of $10,000 and must submit a remediation plan to prevent illegal cannabis sales to regain access to the store, WUSA reported.
So far, regulators have shut down 42 shops that did not apply for medical marijuana licenses.
Hundreds of so-called “gifting shops” had two years to apply to meet the March 31 deadline or face closure, MJBizDaily reported last week.
Only seven MMJ dispensaries and eight cultivators were licensed in D.C. after the district legalized MMJ in May 2010, though hundreds of gifting shops opened after voters approved a ballot initiative in 2014 that allowed stores selling non-marijuana items to include a “gift” of cannabis.
The latest enforcement ramp-up was authorized through an emergency amendment enacted in July 2024 that granted the ABCA new civil enforcement powers, including issuing warnings, fines and cease-and-desist orders to those that failed to apply for MMJ licenses.
Because the U.S. Congress oversees the government of Washington, D.C., local authorities are prevented from regulating marijuana sales as other jurisdictions do.
