D.C. has only one marijuana inspector responsible for overseeing the entire cannabis scene in the nation's capital, and it’s a bit of a "Wild West" situation.
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Why this matters:
Local cannabis business owners believe the District needs more inspectors to deal with the many unlicensed I-71 weed shops while also managing the expanding legal medical dispensary market.
Here’s what’s going on:
Right now, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) has just one marijuana inspector, Jason Peru. He’s tasked with inspecting nearly a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries, ensuring everything from inventory standards to security measures are in order. On top of that, he also has to investigate over 100 I-71 shops, issue cease-and-desist orders, and attend related hearings.
"We were all shocked when we realized there was just one inspector," says Linda Mercado Greene, who owns the medical marijuana dispensary Anacostia Organics.
Greene, along with other dispensary owners, is pushing for the city to crack down on the unlicensed I-71 shops, which sell marijuana under a legal loophole.
What's being done?
ABCA had previously informed medical dispensary operators that two new inspector positions would be posted soon, according to Grace Hyde, a director at District Cannabis, a family-run dispensary. However, those job postings are stuck in D.C.’s HR department, awaiting final approval.
"It’s the classic slow-moving bureaucracy," Hyde said.
On the flip side, ABCA hasn’t given a timeline for when they plan to hire more inspectors. D.C. HR confirmed they’re working with ABCA on future hires, and the positions will be posted once everything is finalized.
What’s next?
According to ABCA, next year’s budget will fund a new enforcement team, including one supervisory investigator and three additional investigators. There will also be a compliance team made up of one compliance analyst and two auditors, who will focus on medical marijuana businesses.
The agency claims it has enough resources to enforce a new law that took effect on July 15, giving cannabis regulators more authority to crack down on unlicensed businesses.
The bigger picture:
Because Congress prevents D.C. from legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana, many I-71 shops have exploited a loophole, selling cheaper products without requiring a medical form. The District is now urging these "gifting shops" to get proper medical marijuana licenses—or face shutdowns.
The latest:
So far, ABCA has inspected more than 120 suspected illegal shops and issued 79 warnings, 23 cease-and-desist orders, and even one summary closure notice, according to spokesperson Mary McNamara.
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