While the federal government continues to push back on adult and medical marijuana programs across the country, our nations capital seems to have no issue with individuals 21+ using cannabis. The D.C. Council passed a bill in November 2016 that resulted in substantial changes for medical marijuana in the District of Columbia. It allows patients to access all of the dispensaries in the city instead of just one, and it also permits people who have been convicted of misdemeanor drug crimes to work in the industry. In November 2014, voters approved a ballot initiative that legalized the possession and cultivation of small amounts of pot for people 21 years of age and older.

At a glance

Legislation & Important Dates

Legalization & Important Dates

• May 04, 2010, Amendment Act B18-622, the “Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Amendment Act of 2010” was approved, and signed by the Mayor on May 21, 2010
• February 14, 2013, the DC Department of Health’s Health Regulation and Licensing Administration released a revised timeline for the dispensary application process, listing June 08, 2012, as the date for which the Department intends to announce dispensary applicants available for registration. In April 2013, the state issued its first medical marijuana dispensary license.

Types of Licenses

Associated Fees

• Dispensary
o Initial application for a medical marijuana dispensary shall be eight thousand dollars ($8,000) annual renewal fee and renewal application fee for a medical marijuana dispensary registration shall be sixteen thousand dollars ($16,000)
• Cultivation
o fee for the filing of an initial application for a medical marijuana cultivation center shall be eight thousand dollars ($8,000)
o annual renewal fee and renewal application fee for a cultivation center registration shall be eleven thousand dollars ($11,000)
• Testing
o fee for the filing of an initial application for a testing laboratory shall be three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500)
o fee for the transfer of a dispensary, cultivation center, or testing laboratory registration to a new owner shall be two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500).
o fee for the transfer of a dispensary, cultivation center, or testing laboratory registration to a new location shall be five thousand dollars ($5,000).

Qualifying Conditions

• HIV/AIDS
• Glaucoma
• multiple sclerosis
• cancer, or any other condition, as determined by rulemaking that is, chronic or long-lasting;
• or is debilitating or interferes with the basic functions of life; and is a serious medical condition for which the use of medical marijuana is beneficial, that cannot be effectively treated by any ordinary medical or surgical measure, or for which there is scientific evidence that the use of medical marijuana is likely to be significantly less addictive than the ordinary medical treatment for that condition.
• Patients may also qualify by undergoing any of the following medical treatments: Chemotherapy; radiotherapy; the use of azidothymidine or protease inhibitors; or any other treatment as determined by rulemaking, whose side effects require treatment through the administration of medical marijuana in the same manner as a qualifying medical condition.

How to Become A Medical Marijuana Patient

Patient Registry fee is $100 for new applications and renewals, or $25 for low income patients. The District of Columbia Marijuana Registry is mandatory and does NOT accept other state’s registry cards.
1. First, you need a signed Physician’s Statement from a physician, currently licensed to practice medicine in District of Columbia
2. To qualify, a patient needs to be diagnosed by a physician as having one of the debilitating medical conditions that are specifically identified in the law:
3. Patients must be 18 years of age, and be a District of Columbia resident.
4. Patients are required to obtain legitimate medical records or documentation from their primary care physician describing the diagnosis of their qualifying condition
5. Patients are required to register with the District of Columbia Department of Health. Registration is mandatory.
6. The patient registry application fee is $100 for new and renewal applications. For patients on Social Security disability, Supplemental Security Insurance, or low income, the fee is $25, with the appropriate documentation.
7. Submit application

Card Holder Benefits

Caregivers

Initial registration fee $100.00
• Renewal fee $100.00
• Replacement card fee $90.00
II. Reduced Fees The initial registration fees for a qualifying caregiver whose income is equal to or less than two hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty level will be twenty-five percent (25%) of the published standard qualifying patient or caregiver registration fee as follows:
• Initial registration fee $25.00
• Renewal fee $25.00
• Replacement card fee $20.00