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Photo evidence provided by the Metropolitan Police Department
WASHINGTON — Another illegal marijuana dispensary was shut down and searched on Wednesday, the fifth to be shut down since new laws passed by the Washington, D.C., Council went into effect in recent weeks.
The Green Room, on U Street near 14th Avenue, was padlocked by D.C. police and officers from the Bureau of Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Control (ABCA) around noon.
ABCA Director Fred Moussary said the store was operating illegally and without a license and had been served with a warning letter in April and a closure order in July, prior to Wednesday's raid.
“It's not a surprise to anyone,” Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Geoffrey Carroll said, “but they have refused to close and the ABCA board has given them notice to close, so we are going to close them.”
Just a few feet away from the Green Room sits Supreme Terpenes, the first illegal marijuana shop to be closed on Sept. 5. Another store in Brightwood and two on H Street were also recently padlocked under the new law.
In some cases, the owners may also be prosecuted.
Moosally said he conducted undercover operations and enforcement at more than 120 unlicensed stores operating in the district, many of which had been in business for years and were taking advantage of the “gift” loophole, where consumers were “gifted” marijuana with their purchase.
And they're not just selling untested marijuana, he added, as the raids have uncovered dangerous drugs being sold to consumers.
“We're finding cannabis products laced with hallucinogenic mushrooms, DMT, amphetamines … so we're finding a lot of Schedule 1 substances in addition to cannabis,” Moussally said.
Photo evidence provided by the Metropolitan Police Department
Opium was also found in one store, Carroll said.
“People who come here to buy marijuana not knowing this is an unlicensed cannabis shop may have other harmful drugs in their marijuana,” Carroll added. “So the message to other unlicensed cannabis shops is that you need to follow the law. If you don't have the proper license you need to close down for the safety of the community and everyone involved.”
DC City Council Member Charles Allen proposed and led the DC City Council to pass the Medical Marijuana Program Enforcement Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 in January of this year, giving the ABCA legal authority to enforce laws against businesses operating illegally.
District leaders are keen to highlight that D.C. has a legal cannabis market, with nearly a dozen retailers currently operating and more on the way.
According to the ABCA, 75 retailer applications were submitted during the statutory unlicensed operator period, and 13 of the applications submitted by unlicensed operators during this period were approved.
The other 34 applications submitted during this time period are currently either posted or awaiting commission review during the 45-day public comment period.
25 cannabis stores that were operating illegally received warning letters and voluntarily closed.
In August, ABCA issued the District's first medical marijuana testing laboratory license to ClearSight Labs.
Washington lawmakers crack down on illegal marijuana businesses
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are cracking down on illegal marijuana businesses that have been operating without a license for years, and on Wednesday two more stores were shut down as part of a new crackdown.
