Emergency help Safety alerts District of Columbia Search How to help
Menu

Verify · District of Columbia

DC cannabis rules: what to know and how to check

In the District of Columbia, adults 21 and older may have up to 2 ounces of cannabis and grow a few plants at home. But no one may sell cannabis to adults for personal use, so there are no adult-use stores.

The only legal place to buy is a medical cannabis retailer licensed by the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA). To buy, you need a medical registration. Adults 21 and older can sign themselves up without a doctor’s note. Check the retailer on ABCA’s list before you buy.

Checked against the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) and DC law on . Next review: .

CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.

Official source

District of Columbia’s cannabis regulator: Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA)

These links go to the regulator’s own website. CHSA does not copy or host license records, so you always see the official, current version.

What’s different in District of Columbia

DC's rules are unusual. Adults 21 and older may have up to 2 ounces of cannabis, grow a few plants at home, and give up to 1 ounce to another adult for free. Voters passed this as Initiative 71 on November 4, 2014 (115,050 votes for, 49,168 against). It took effect on February 26, 2015.

But DC law does not let anyone sell cannabis to adults for personal use, so there are no adult-use stores. The only legal place to buy is a medical cannabis retailer licensed by the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA). Adults 21 and older can sign themselves up as medical patients without a doctor's recommendation. This is called self-certifying. Registration is free for DC residents. Visitors 21 and older can pay for a short-term registration, or show a medical card from many other states.

A registered patient may buy up to 8 ounces of dried cannabis in 30 days. Other limits apply to concentrates and to products counted by their THC.

A business that sells cannabis, or trades it as part of a sale, without an ABCA license is breaking DC law. ABCA and police padlocked 113 illegal cannabis businesses from July 15, 2024 to June 2026.

Using cannabis in public is a crime in DC. That includes streets, sidewalks, parks, parked or moving cars, and any place open to the public, including private clubs. Landlords and property owners can ban cannabis on their property.

DC rules at a glance

These are the main DC rules. Personal-use rules apply to adults 21 and older; buying, delivery, testing and labels are part of the medical program. Numbers in brackets link to the law.

District of Columbia rules, with sources
Topic The rule Source
Minimum age 21 or older to have, use, grow or share cannabis under DC's personal-use law. There are no adult-use stores: DC law does not allow sales outside the medical program. Medical patients under 21 need a practitioner's recommendation, and patients under 18 also need a caregiver. [1] D.C. Code § 48-904.01(a)(1); § 7-1671.02(c), (e); ABCA patients page
How much you can have Adults 21 and older: up to 2 ounces. You may give up to 1 ounce to another adult 21 or older, but only if no money or other payment changes hands. Registered medical patients may have more: up to 8 ounces of dried cannabis. [1] D.C. Code § 48-904.01(a)(1)(A)-(B); § 7-1671.03(a)(1); 22-C DCMR § 301.1
Growing at home Allowed for adults 21 and older, indoors at your main home only. Up to 6 plants per person, with no more than 3 flowering. No more than 12 plants per home (6 flowering), however many adults live there. Selling plants or homegrown cannabis is not allowed. Landlords and property owners may ban growing. [1] D.C. Code § 48-904.01(a)(1)(C)-(D), (a)(1E)
Delivery Medical only. Licensed retailers with a delivery endorsement, and online-only internet retailers, may deliver to registered patients and caregivers at DC addresses. They may not deliver to federal or DC government property or school grounds. The driver must check your photo ID and your ABCA registration first. [2] D.C. Code § 7-1671.06e(a)-(c)
Required lab tests Medical cannabis may not be sold until a licensed lab tests it. Each batch is tested for potency (THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA and CBN), moisture, foreign matter, microbes, mycotoxins, heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury), pesticide and fertilizer residue, and leftover solvents. Edibles are also checked for even mixing. [3] 22-C DCMR §§ 6500.2, 6502.3
Labels Labels must show the grower and the date made, the retailer, the amount, the cannabinoid profile including THC, other ingredients, the date sold, the patient's name and registration number, and "Contains Cannabis. Keep out of the reach of children." They must also list allergens in edibles, chemical additives such as pesticides, and a warning that there may be health risks. [4] 22-C DCMR § 5607.1, .3-.5
Packaging Packages must be child-resistant under the federal standard (16 C.F.R. Part 1700). Packages and labels may not promote overuse or appeal to people under 21, for example with cartoons, toys, animals, bubble-style letters, look-alike snack brands or the word "candy." [5] D.C. Code § 7-1671.06(c)
Edible THC limits No more than 20 mg of THC per serving and 200 mg per package. Stronger edibles (up to 50 mg per serving and 500 mg per package) may be sold only to patients with a practitioner's recommendation. Edibles may not be shaped like animals, people, vehicles, fruit or characters. Each chocolate piece must be wrapped and stamped "THC." [4] 22-C DCMR § 5608.2-.4
Poison control Poison Help (connects you to your local poison center): 1-800-222-1222 . Free, confidential, 24/7. Call 911 if someone has trouble breathing or won’t wake up. poisonhelp.hrsa.gov

District of Columbia recalls

We did not find a public recall list on ABCA’s website. DC rules let ABCA’s Director stop sales of a product that is labeled in a misleading way or contains harmful or adulterated ingredients. 4 CHSA does not monitor DC recalls yet. If you think a product made you sick, call Poison Help, then tell ABCA.

How District of Columbia compares

Compare District of Columbia with the other states CHSA covers.

Sources

  1. D.C. Code § 48-904.01, Prohibited acts A; penalties (personal-use rules from Initiative 71) Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Retrieved
  2. D.C. Code § 7-1671.06e, Retailer delivery endorsement and internet retailer deliveries Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Retrieved
  3. 22-C DCMR Chapter 65, Cannabis testing (§§ 6500, 6502) Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia, DC Regulations (DCRegs) · Retrieved
  4. 22-C DCMR Chapter 56, General operating requirements (§ 5607 labeling and packaging; § 5608 ingestible items) Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia, DC Regulations (DCRegs) · Retrieved
  5. D.C. Code § 7-1671.06, Cultivation centers, manufacturers, retailers, internet retailers, and testing laboratories Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Retrieved
  6. D.C. Law 20-153, Legalization of Possession of Minimal Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use Initiative of 2014 Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Published · Retrieved
  7. D.C. Code § 48-911.01, Consumption of marijuana in public space prohibited Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Retrieved
  8. D.C. Code § 7-1671.01, Definitions (medical cannabis) Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Retrieved
  9. D.C. Code § 7-1671.02, Use of medical cannabis Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Retrieved
  10. D.C. Code § 7-1671.03, Restrictions on use of medical cannabis Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library · Retrieved
  11. 22-C DCMR Chapter 3, Use of medical cannabis (§ 301 possession and purchase limits) Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia, DC Regulations (DCRegs) · Retrieved
  12. Medical Cannabis Program Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), Government of the District of Columbia · Retrieved
  13. Medical Cannabis - Patients Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), Government of the District of Columbia · Retrieved
  14. Medical Cannabis - Reciprocity Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), Government of the District of Columbia · Retrieved
  15. Find a Medical Cannabis Retailer Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), Government of the District of Columbia · Retrieved
  16. File a Complaint Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), Government of the District of Columbia · Retrieved
  17. ABCA, MPD Shut Down Illegal Cannabis Operations Across the District Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), Government of the District of Columbia · Published · Retrieved
  18. Poison Help — About us U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) · Retrieved

CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.