Overview

ABCA offers six (6) medical cannabis business licenses including Courier, Cultivation Center, Internet Retailer, Manufacturer, Retailer, and Testing Laboratory, and one (1) medical cannabis business permit for a Certification Training Provider. 

• Courier - Permits the third-party delivery of medical cannabis, medical cannabis products, and paraphernalia on behalf of licensed retailers and internet retailers to eligible patients and their caregivers.
• Cultivation Center - Permits the growing of cannabis for sale to licensed Retailers in DC for resale to eligible patients.
• Internet Retailer - Permits businesses that do not have a physical location open to the public to sell cannabis and paraphernalia online and by mobile application for delivery to eligible patients.
• Manufacturer - Permits the processing, packaging, and labeling of medical cannabis products for sale and distribution to licensed retailers and internet retailers in DC for resale to eligible patients and caregivers.
• Retailer - Permits the dispensing of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products to eligible patients and caregivers. Permits Retailers to manufacture, purchase, and sell paraphernalia. Retailers are eligible to request any combination of license endorsements to expand their business operations.
• Testing Laboratory - Permits the testing of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products and provides testing results to licensed cultivation centers and manufacturers.
• Conditional - Provides a license to applicants without a proposed location. Applicants have up to one (1) year to secure a location and provide ABCA with all required documents and fees. Available for all license types.

To Apply or Renew 

Applications are only accepted during open application periods, except for Testing Laboratory Licenses, Certification Training Provider Permits, and Retailer Endorsements which are accepted on an ongoing basis. View open application schedule.

• Online (Recommended) 
  Applicant will be required to create a Quickbase account using an email address. There is no fee to create an account. After logging in, parties may view the application but will not be able to upload documents until 9:00 a.m. on the first day of the open application period. Applicants may save their work and return to their application throughout the application period. Upon submission, applicants will be sent a confirmation of receipt to the email address used to create the user account. Start online application.   
   
• In-Person or By Mail
  Our office and mailing address is 2000 14th Street NW, Suite 102A South, Washington DC 20009. ABCA’s office hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. Applicants arriving in-person before 9:00 a.m. on the first day of the open application period will be directed to a queue. Applications submitted in-person or by mail will be date and time-stamped. View open application schedule and application materials.
   
• By Email 
  Applications and all supporting documentation should be combined into one PDF file and emailed to [email protected]. Please note that file attachments that are approximately 10 megabytes or larger may not be successfully received based on the email client used to send the email. Documents should not be sent in multiple emails. View open application schedule and application materials.

Applications received by any amount of time outside the stated open application period will be rejected without notice.  

Application fees must be paid within one (1) business day following formal notification of application acceptance by ABCA. Fees, including the discounted rate for social equity applicants, are detailed on the abca.dc.gov.  

Questions and requests for technical assistance should be directed to [email protected]. The slide deck and recording from the standard and social equity applicant information session are available online.