Washington, D.C. medical cannabis dispensaries: 77 ABCA retailers

Cards for visitors, "gifting" shops and the rules that changed

Visitors 21 and older must self-certify too, choosing a 30, 90, 180 or 365-day registration for $10 to $100, and licensed stores honour patient cards from most states. A registered patient may buy up to 8 ounces in a rolling 30-day period and must show a government photo ID. Stores may open between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., and internet retailers deliver only, with no in-store or curbside pickup.

• Tax: 6% sales tax on medical cannabis. In June 2026 the D.C. Council rejected a proposal to raise it to 10.25%.
• Gifting shops: businesses that hand over cannabis with a sticker or T-shirt purchase are illegal, and a task force led by ABCA had padlocked 100 of them by January 8, 2026.
• New stores: on July 30, 2026 Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an emergency act, in force until October 28, 2026, that lets conditional medical licensees open with a zoning certificate instead of a certificate of occupancy.

Several register entries, including All The Buzz, All Vybez DC and Apple Dream Dispensary, sit on Georgia Avenue NW, a corridor where stores compete, so check the posted ABCA licence on the door rather than the sign. Using cannabis in public, including in bars, restaurants and coffee shops, is a crime, and so is driving under its influence. Our licence-check guide explains how to tell a licensed store from a gifting shop, and the D.C. hub has the full rules.