District of Columbia

Several categories of D.C.-licensed health care practitioners may recommend the use of medical cannabis to qualifying patients. D.C. law uses the term "authorized practitioner" to refer to all eligible provider types. Eligible authorized practitioners include:

• Physicians
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN)
• Physician Assistants
• Naturopathic Physicians (ND)
• Dentists

All authorized practitioners must be licensed and in good standing to practice under District law.

An authorized practitioner may recommend the use of medical cannabis to a qualifying patient if the practitioner:

• Is in a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship with the qualifying patient
• Has completed a full assessment of the patient's medical or dental history and current medical or dental condition, including a personal physical or dental examination performed not more than 90 days prior to making the recommendation
• Has responsibility for the ongoing care and treatment of the patient

An authorized practitioner recommending the use of medical cannabis may not have a professional office located at a licensed retailer, internet retailer, cultivation center, manufacturer, or testing laboratory. They may not receive financial compensation from any of those facilities or from their directors, officers, members, incorporators, agents, or employees.

To be eligible to make a recommendation, authorized practitioners must register with the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA). Registration is free and does not expire or require renewal.

Registered practitioners are listed in a searchable roster on ABCA's website to help D.C. residents identify practitioners eligible to make recommendations. Listing in the roster is optional — some registered practitioners decline to be included.

Practitioners needing to confirm their licensure status must contact their respective licensing board directly. Updated licensing board contact information is available at dchealth.dc.gov.

To register, complete the online application.

D.C. law does not limit which conditions an authorized practitioner may recommend for treatment with medical cannabis. A "qualifying medical or dental condition" means any condition for which treatment with medical cannabis would be beneficial, as determined by the authorized practitioner.

Recommendations for the use of medical cannabis must be based on the authorized practitioner's assessment of the qualifying patient's medical or dental history, current medical or dental condition, and a review of other approved medications and treatments that might provide the qualifying patient with relief from a qualifying medical or dental condition or the side effects of a qualifying medical or dental treatment.

Authorized practitioners recommending the use of medical cannabis must maintain a record for each qualifying patient reflecting the evaluation and treatment of the patient. Records must be kept for:

• Three (3) years after the practitioner's last visit with the patient, or
• Three (3) years after a minor patient reaches 18 years of age

To submit a recommendation, authorized practitioners must be registered with ABCA and may log into the ABCA online portal to make recommendations for qualifying patients.

D.C. DOH has also streamlined the paperwork process for physicians. Physicians may now request Electronic Recommendation Access Request Forms using this online order form.

Note: D.C. residents 21 years of age and older may also self-certify without a practitioner recommendation by completing a form provided by ABCA. The recommendation process described above applies to patients who choose to obtain a practitioner recommendation, and to all patients under 21.

Patients who are enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Program must be recertified every two years. The Adult Patient Application can be found here: https://abca.dc.gov/page/medical-cannabis-patients

The Minor Patient Application must be submitted in person, by mail, or by email to [email protected] using "Patient Application" as the subject. An online option is not available for minor patients.

Effective Sunday, March 2, 2025, new medical cannabis patient registrations will be issued for two (2) year periods. Registrations issued with a six (6) year period will remain valid through the date shown on the registration.

Medical professionals have a legal right to recommend cannabis as a treatment in any state, as protected by the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (Title III section 301) which became law on December 2, 2022, and the First Amendment (established by a 2004 United States Supreme Court decision to uphold earlier federal court rulings that doctors, and their patients have a fundamental Constitutional right to freely discuss treatment options).

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