District Of Columbia

Washington DC

6,792 Registered Patient Population

0.96% of Total Population Represented by Patients

8 Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation

849 : 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 Protection	79/100
Arrest Protection 40/40 Affirmative Defense 15/15 Parental Rights Protections 0/10 DUI Protections 0/5 Employment Protections 4/5 Explicit Privacy Standards 7/7 Housing Protections 0/5 Does Not Create New Criminal Penalties for Patients 5/5 Organ Transplants 5/5 Reciprocity 3/3
Access to Medicine	78/100
Allows Distribution Programs 29/40 – Allows Access to Dried Flowers 15/15 – Allows Delivery 0/5 – No Sales Tax or Reasonable Sales Tax 4/5 – Allows for a Reasonable Number of Dispensaries 5/5 – Does Not Require Vertical Integration 2/2 – Ownership/Employment Restrictions 1/2 – Provisions for Labor Standards 0/2 – Environmental Impact Regulations 0/2 – Choice of Dispensary Without Restrictions 2/2 Noncommercial Cultivation 11/20 – Personal Cultivation 10/15 – Collective Gardening 1/5 Explicit Right to Edibles/Concentrates/Other Forms 10/10 Does not Impose Bans or Limits on THC 10/10 Does not Impose Bans on CBD 10/10 Local Bans/Zoning 8/10
Ease of Navigation	93/100
Comprehensive Qualifying Conditions 50/50 Adding New Conditions 10/10 – Law/Regulations Allow for New Conditions 5/5 – System Works for Adding New Conditions 5/5 Reasonable Access for Minors 9/10 Reasonable Caregiver Background Checks 2/4 Number of Caregivers 2/2 Patient/Practioner-Focused Task Force or Advisory Board 2/2 Reasonable Fees (Patients and Caregivers) 8/10 Allows Multiple-Year Registrations 0/2 Reasonable Physician Requirements 5/5 Does Not Classify Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort 5/5
Functionality	81/100
Patients Able to Access Medicine at Dispensaries or by Cultivation 40/50 No Significant Administrative or Supply Problems 15/15 Patients Can Receive Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame of Doctor's Recommendation 8/10 Reasonable Possession Limits 5/5 Reasonable Purchase Limits 5/5 Allows Patients to Medicate Where They Choose 3/5 Covered by Insurance/State Health Aid 0/3 Financial Hardship (Fee Waivers/Discount Medicine) 5/7
Consumer Safety and Provider Requirements	66.2/100
Dispensing 16.01/25 Staff Training 5/5 Standard Operating Procedures 5/5 – Facility Sanitary Conditions 1.25/1.25 – Storage Protocols 1.25/1.25 – Reasonable Security Protocols 1.25/1.25 – Inventory Control 1.25/1.25 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 0/5 Product Labeling 3.34/5 – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification 1.67/1.67 – Allergens 0/1.67 – Potency/Compound Identification 1.67/1.67 Required Testing 2.67/5 – Active Compound Identification 1.67/1.67 – Contaminants 0/1.67 – Potency 1/1.67 Grow/Cultivation 17.5/25 Staff Training 5/5 Standard Operating Procedures 5/5 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 0.71/0.71 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0.71/0.71 – Storage Protocols (Short-Term and Long-Term Storage) 0.71/0.71 – Reasonable Security Protocols 0.71/0.71 – Batch and Lot Tracking 0.71/0.71 – Disposal/Waste 0.71/0.71 – Water Management 0.71/0.71 Pesticide Guidance 3/5 – Pesticide Guidance 2/2.5 – Pesticide Labeling 1/2.5 Required Testing 2.5/5 – Active Ingredient Identification 1.25/1.25 – Contaminants 0/1.25 – Potency 1.25/1.25 – Sample Retention 0/1.25 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 2/5 Manufacturing 12.67/25 Staff Training 5/5 Standard Operating Procedures 4/5 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 1/1 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0/1 – Storage Protocols 1/1 – Reasonable Security Protocols 1/1 – Batch and Lot Tracking 1/1 Product Labeling 2.67/5 – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification 1.67/1.67 – Allergens 1/1.67 – Potency and Compound Information 0/1.67 Required Testing 1/5 – Active Ingredient Identification 1/1 – Contaminants 0/1 – Potency 0/1 – Shelf Life Testing 0/1 – Sample Retention 0/1 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 0/5 Laboratory Operations 20/25 Staff Training 5/5 Method Validation in Accordance with AHP Guidelines 0/5 Result Reporting 5/5 Independent or Third Party 5/5 Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols 5/5 – Equipment and Instrument Calibration 0.83/0.83 – Sample Tracking 0.83/0.83 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 0.83/0.83 – Disposal/Waste 0.83/0.83 – Storage Protocols 0.83/0.83 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0.83/0.83
Covid Response	14/20
Delivery Available? 2/6 Curbside Pickup Available? 2/2 Medical Cannabis Essential? 7/7 Telemedicine Available? 3/5
Excerpted from ASA's 2020 State of the States Report.

Becoming a Patient in the District of Columbia

Recommending Cannabis in the District of Columbia

Washington DC Advocacy

History of Medical Cannabis in the District Of Columbia

Policy Recommendations District Of Columbia