The marijuana regulatory agency in Washington, D.C., used new enforcement powers to shutter an unlicensed cannabis store that also was allegedly selling psychedelic mushrooms.
The situation at Supreme Terpene – which D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) first flagged for unlawful sales in April – is a test case of the authority to shut down unlicensed sellers, which the Council of the District of Columbia granted to the marijuana regulator and law enforcement.
In January, the D.C. Council authorized the ABCA “to summarily close (an) unlicensed retailer and seize any cannabis products” after investigations that uncover unlawful sales.
As of July, the ABCA had issued warnings to 60 unlicensed marijuana operators.
Another 24 stores have been issued cease-and-desist orders of the kind that led to Supreme Terpene’s closure on Thursday, according to District of Columbia TV station WUSA.
The ABCA had issued several warnings to Supreme Terpene, which kept operating at its U Street location despite the warnings.
That led to an undercover operation in which D.C. police “seized all products,” according to WUSA.
The ACBA then declared Supreme Terpene an “imminent danger to the health and safety of the public.”
However, the store owner can appeal.
Owner Perry Young told WUSA he tried to meet with authorities before his store was closed.
Illicit sales have sprung up in the district, with licensed MMJ dispensaries saying “gifting stores” and other illicit options are cutting deeply into their margins, according to Axios D.C.
Similar situations are unfolding in other states with rampant illicit sales, perhaps most notably in New York.
Authorities in that state launched a crackdown this spring aimed at shuttering an illegal market that’s contributed to a disastrous rollout of legal sales.
