District Of Columbia
Washington DC
11,716
Registered Patient Population |
1.66%
of Total Population Represented by Patients |
7
Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation |
1,674 : 1
Patients : Retail |
Cannabis is legal to possess for all adults over 21. Anyone may cultivate up to six plants at home for personal use, or twelve plants in a household of two or more adults. Commercial cannabis sales remain illegal outside of DC’s medical program. Patients in the District are limited by a limited number of dispensaries and relatively high prices. Patients visiting the District from states with “functionally equivalent” programs have the benefit of reciprocity.
 Patient Rights and Civil Protections |
60/100 |
|
| Arrest Protection |
25/25 |
| Affirmative Defense |
20/20 |
| Parental Rights Protections |
0/20 |
| Employment Protections |
10/20 |
| DUI Protections |
0/10 |
| Explicit Privacy Standards |
5/5 |
|
|
Access to Medicine |
60/100 |
|
| Authorizes Retail Access |
10/10 |
| Alternative Accessibility Methods |
10/20 |
| - Authorizes Delivery |
0/10 |
| - Authorizes Curbside Pickup |
10/10 |
| Personal Cultivation |
15/15 |
| Collective Gardening |
0/5 |
| Sufficient Number of Licenced Retailers |
5/30 |
| Reciprocity |
20/20 |
|
|
Program Functionality |
98/100 |
|
| Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame |
20/20 |
| Reasonable Possession Limits |
10/10 |
| Reasonable Purchase Limits |
10/10 |
| Telemedicine for Physician Certifications |
15/15 |
| Patient and Physician Representation in Program Decision Making |
20/20 |
| Reasonable Caregiver Standards |
3/5 |
| - Background Checks |
0/2 |
| - Number of Caregivers |
3/3 |
| Reasonable Physician Standards |
5/5 |
| Access to Administration Methods |
10/10 |
| - Allows Dried Flower |
5/5 |
| - Allows Edibles, Concentrates, and Other Forms |
5/5 |
| Provides Access to Minors on School Grounds |
5/5 |
|
|
Affordability |
35/100 |
|
| Sales Tax Break for Patients and Caregivers |
0/20 |
| Covered by State Insurance or Health Aid |
0/20 |
| Reasonable Registration Fees |
10/20 |
| Financial Hardship Waivers or Discounts |
15/20 |
| Donation Program |
0/10 |
| Allows Multi-Year Registrations |
10/10 |
|
|
Health and Social Equity |
60/100 |
|
| State Program Protections |
25/25 |
| Housing Protections |
0/25 |
| Access for Minors |
10/10 |
| Access in Underserved Areas |
5/10 |
| List of Qualifying Conditions is Exhaustive or All Inclusive |
10/10 |
| Allows Patients to Medicate Where they Choose |
0/10 |
| Organ Transplants |
5/5 |
| Ownership or Employment Restrictions |
5/5 |
|
|
Consumer Protection and Product Safety |
125/200 |
|
| Total |
22/50 |
| Quality Management Systems |
0/10 |
| Staff Training |
10/10 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
0/8 |
| - Facility and Equipment Sanitation |
0/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
0/1 |
| - Storage |
0/1 |
| - Batch and Lot Tracking |
0/1 |
| - Security |
0/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
0/1 |
| - Water Management |
0/1 |
| - Records Management |
0/1 |
| Pesticide Usage Limitations |
2/2 |
| Environmental Impact Regulations |
0/2 |
| Required Testing |
8/8 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
1/1 |
| - Microbials |
1/1 |
| - Aflatoxins |
1/1 |
| - Pesticides |
1/1 |
| - Heavy Metals |
1/1 |
| - Foreign Matter |
1/1 |
| - Moisture Content/ Water Activity |
1/1 |
| Packaging and Labeling |
2/3 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
0/1 |
| - Pesticides |
1/1 |
| Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting, and Recall Protocol |
0/7 |
| Total |
28/50 |
| Quality Management Systems |
5/10 |
| Staff Training |
10/10 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
0/7 |
| - Facility and Equipment Sanitation |
0/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
0/1 |
| - Storage |
0/1 |
| - Batch and Lot Tracking |
0/1 |
| - Security |
0/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
0/1 |
| - Records Management |
0/1 |
| Environmental Impact Regulations |
0/3 |
| Required Testing |
10/10 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
1/1 |
| - Microbials |
1/1 |
| - Aflatoxins |
1/1 |
| - Pesticides |
1/1 |
| - Heavy Metals |
1/1 |
| - Residual Solvents |
1/1 |
| - Homogeneity |
1/1 |
| - Foreign Matter |
1/1 |
| - Water Activity |
1/1 |
| Packaging and Labeling |
3/5 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
0/1 |
| - Ingredients |
1/1 |
| - Allergens |
1/1 |
| - Nutritional Content |
0/1 |
| Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol |
0/5 |
| Total |
25/50 |
| Staff Training |
20/20 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
0/7 |
| - Facility Sanitation |
0/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
0/1 |
| - Storage |
0/1 |
| - Batch and Lot Tracking |
0/1 |
| - Security |
0/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
0/1 |
| - Records Management |
0/1 |
| Product Testing |
5/10 |
| - Product Meets Requirements Before Sale |
5/5 |
| - COA Disclosure |
0/5 |
| Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol |
0/13 |
| Total |
50/50 |
| Independent or Third-Party |
5/5 |
| Laboratory Sampling |
5/5 |
| Method Validation |
4/4 |
| Quality Management Systems |
5/5 |
| Staff Training |
20/20 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
7/7 |
| - Facility and Equipment Sanitation |
1/1 |
| - Equipment and Instrument Calibration |
1/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
1/1 |
| - Sample Tracking |
1/1 |
| - Security |
1/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
1/1 |
| - Records Management |
1/1 |
| Result Reporting |
4/4 |
|
|
Score Penalties |
0/100 |
|
| Gives Regulatory Preference to Adult Use |
0/20 |
| Classifies Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort |
0/15 |
| Administrative or Supply Problems |
0/15 |
| Requires Vertical Integration |
0/10 |
| Creates New Criminal Penalties for Patients |
0/10 |
| Limits Patients to a Single Retailer |
0/10 |
| No System for Adding Qualifying Conditions |
0/10 |
| Imposes Bans or Limits on THC |
0/5 |
| Imposes Bans or Limits on CBD |
0/5 |
|
| Excerpted from ASA's 2021 State of the States Report. |
