WASHINGTON — The District’s campaign to shut down unlicensed cannabis operations reached a new milestone this week with the closure of two more storefronts on H Street NE. The latest actions bring the total number of padlocked shops to 53 since emergency legislation granted city officials new enforcement powers in mid-2024.
On May 8, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), with support from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Division, served closure orders at Pot Paradise (521 H Street NE) and H & Vape Smoke Shop (1374 H Street NE). Officials cited both businesses for operating without the required cannabis retailer licenses—a violation of D.C. Code § 7–1671.06, which governs legal cannabis sales in the District.
According to ABCA, the closures were carried out under the authority of the “Medical Cannabis Conditional License and Unlicensed Establishment Closure Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2024,” which went into effect on July 15, 2024. The law permits the agency to padlock storefronts posing an “imminent danger to public health and safety” without needing a prior hearing.
While executing the closure orders, MPD officers observed what they described as illegal cannabis products at both locations. Search warrants were then obtained and executed on-site…