Dixie Liquor, Dixie Liquor, D.C.'s oldest liquor store, which has been selling alcohol to Georgetown students for more than 90 years, may soon be closing its doors to make way for a new product, marijuana, for people 21 and older.
JKEntity, LLC is seeking a medical marijuana retail license to operate at 3429 M St NW, the current location of Dixie Liquor. It's unclear why Dixie is leaving the location. Dixie Liquor and the owner of the building itself did not respond to requests for comment from the Voice.
The proposed project has entered a months-long protest period during which the Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Council (ANC) and residents can voice their concerns and seek resolution through an ANC-brokered settlement agreement. Residents can voice their concerns by filing a protest petition with the DC Authority of Alcohol and Cannabis Control (ABCA) by October 15th, at a roll call hearing on November 4th, or at a protest hearing on December 11th.
If the license is approved by the ANC and ABCA, Dixie Liquor will close and the store will no longer be able to sell alcohol.
According to a notice of hearing posted by ABCA on Aug. 30, Rabbi James Kahn, owner of JKEntity, is offering “cannabis flower, cannabis concentrates, an array of edible products and home delivery to registered patients in Washington, D.C.” He said he wants to sell “services.” Dixie told The Voice that it hopes to open the store in early 2025. That means if the license is approved, Dixie will likely close by the end of the school year.
Kahn chose the location deliberately.
“One, we love Georgetown (location), two, we love being close to different parts of Virginia, and three, it's an iconic It's a great asset,” Khan said. “So finding a historic property was incredibly exciting for us.”
But officials in the Georgetown area, including students, are surprised by the proposal.
“I can assure you it happened completely out of the blue,” said ANC Commissioner Joe Massaua (SFS ’25). In an interview with the Voice ahead of the ANC meeting on September 30, Mr Khan answered questions about his proposals.
“I'm going to ask them some pretty serious questions about age verification methods, why they chose this location in particular, and whether there are other locations they can choose from depending on their customers to make drug applications. (Sales) is different from recreation,” Massauer said of the conference plans.
He expressed concern that the proposed location specifically targets Georgetown students.
“Given Washington, D.C.'s lax health care laws, it begs the question why anyone would want to locate near a university,” Massauer said.
Patients in Washington, D.C., can “self-certify” their medical marijuana cards at any time, including inside cannabis retail stores. Masur's concern is that students who want to purchase marijuana at a licensed medical retailer only need to provide proof of age, fill out a simple online form and pay a fee ranging from $10 to $100.
Residents are also concerned about the proposed site's proximity to campus.
“It's close to the university, it's close to the high school, it's close to the middle school, it's close to the elementary school. It just doesn't seem like the right location,” Georgetown resident Kevin Wheeler said at the meeting. There are already about 24 cannabis stores in the area.
Khan sought to allay residents' concerns, saying the proposed site complies with ABCA guidelines.
“We want to contribute meaningfully to the Georgetown community,” Khan said. “We want to be good neighbors. We want to be a pharmacy that makes me happy to live next door and my children happy to live next door.”
Mr. Khan's parents are co-owners of Tacoma Wellness, one of the city's most profitable medical retailers, and cannabis is Mr. Khan's family business. According to his comments at the ANC meeting on September 30, he hopes to continue the legacy of success and government compliance at George Town.
“We're going to be legal. We're going to be taxed and we're going to be compliant. We're going to sell products that are only produced in Washington, D.C. by licensed and regulated Washington, D.C., growers,” Khan said. he said during the meeting.
JKEntity is entering an already crowded field of up-and-coming cannabis businesses. At least 236 cannabis stores are operating in Washington, D.C., and more than 60 have applied for licenses, according to an investigation by The Voice. Unlicensed operators are not subject to the same regulations and inspections as licensed drug retailers, nor do they pay the same tax rates. The sale of cannabis outside of a licensed medical retailer remains illegal.
Until recently, most cannabis stores in Washington, D.C., operated on the “grey market” created by Initiative 71 (I-71), which legalized recreational marijuana use in the District but legalized its sales. I was doing it. I-71 compliant stores “gift” marijuana to customers over the age of 21 in exchange for the purchase of another item, such as a T-shirt, sticker, or postcard.
ABCA and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department began cracking down on these stores this summer. So far this year, the government has issued 84 warning letters and 23 cease and desist orders. Because these stores are not officially licensed by the ABCA or the district, their products are largely unregulated, and officials fear a loss of tax revenue. This month, four stores were padlocked for selling or possessing cannabis with intent to distribute, and a fifth store was shut down after the owner was suspected of selling psilocybin (magic mushrooms).
At least 21 businesses, both licensed and unlicensed, currently sell marijuana in the Georgetown area. ANC commissioners and residents alike have expressed concern about the number and quality of cannabis businesses operating in the area.
Commissioner Topher Matthews is concerned about the impact on the community.
“I don't think it's good for business brands in Georgetown to have so many (cannabis retailers),” he said. “Even though it’s licensed, it’s a little cheap.”
The fate of Dixie remains uncertain, but if JKentity's license is approved, it will be the last time the location has been open for 90 years, much to the chagrin of some students.
Jonah Presser (SFS ’25) wrote to the Voice that “it is one of Georgetown’s quintessential locations, and its closure will make our campus feel like it is losing its collegiate feel.” Ta.
