District of Columbia extends 4/20 medical marijuana tax holiday

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Washington, D.C., lawmakers have voted to extend the length of a tax holiday on medical marijuana purchases surrounding 4/20.

The bill also extends the validity period for MMJ registration cards and gives the District of Columbia’s cannabis regulator new powers against unlicensed retailers.

The tax holiday was originally introduced in 2022.

Under the new legislation, the tax holiday will last for an additional four days in 2024, from April 15 through April 28, which could boost transactions at D.C. dispensaries.

Medical cannabis sales in Washington, D.C., are ordinarily taxed at 6%.

The law will also make MMJ registration cards in the District of Columbia valid for six years, instead of the previous two-year limit.

“This change serves to improve patient access into our medical cannabis program and would make the District consistent with the state of Maryland which implemented a six-year medical cannabis patient card in 2022,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a March letter introducing the legislation.

Finally, the bill gives D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration authority to close unlicensed retailers and seize their cannabis products.

Mayor Bowser’s letter said that authority applies “where the continued operations of the unlicensed retailer presents an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the public.”

The district also passed legislation in January targeting unlicensed marijuana stores.