Officials in Washington DC are delaying planned inspections of cannabis gifting shops as the city grapples with search-and-seizure concerns and protocols.
District of Columbia regulators said last month they planned to start inspecting such shops after Labor Day for health code and licensing violations, permits and taxes.
But those inspections were unexpectedly put on hold, and the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) did not respond to “multiple requests for comment,” the DCist reported.
A spokesperson for Mayor Muriel Bowser told news the outlet, without providing details, that “eventually it will happen, but right now there’s some work that needs to get done.”
According to the DCist, a source with knowledge of the situation said Metropolitan Police Department officials were concerned about “the protocol for inspecting the stores” and, in turn, discovering illegal items such as weapons.
The police did not respond to the DCist’s request for comment.
The crackdown on marijuana gifting stores was an attempt to protect DC’s seven licensed medical marijuana dispensaries from a thriving gray market.
