The Marijuana Herald – Marijuana news and information
The Washington D.C. Council has approved the Medical Cannabis Conditional Licensure Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2025, formally sending it to Mayor Muriel Bowser for consideration.
The measure amends the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999 to extend the expiration dates of conditional licenses for medical cannabis businesses. Specifically, it changes the current two-year framework by allowing conditional licenses for cultivation centers, retailers, internet retailers, manufacturers, couriers, and testing laboratories to remain valid for up to three years. In addition, the bill automatically converts licenses already in effect into the new system. One-year conditional licenses that had previously converted to two-year licenses will now automatically shift into three-year licenses. These updated licenses will expire two years after the original expiration date, with no added cost and without requiring additional approval from the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board.
The law would take effect immediately, and remain in place for up to 90 days unless extended or made permanent through further Council action.
Washington D.C. legalized medical cannabis in 1999, three years after California became the first state to do so. However, the first dispensary in D.C. didn’t open until 2013…