Effective August 5, 2022, eligible DC residents may now immediately purchase medical cannabis from licensed dispensaries using the temporary patient registration approval sent to applicants upon submission of an online patient application. Temporary registrations are valid for 30-days and may be used while an applicant’s application is under review.
DC residents whose applications are approved will be sent a permanent digital and physical registration prior to the expiration of their temporary registration. The registration number included in both the temporary and permanent registrations will be identical.
Applicants who are unresponsive to requests for missing information, or who are determined to be ineligible, will have their temporary registration deactivated.
Patient and caregiver registrations remain free through August 18, 2022. Applicants who apply by September 30 will be issued a two-year registration if approved.
ABRA implemented this change to ensure that patients are able to obtain cannabis for medical use as quickly as possible. “We are excited to offer this new online temporary approval option for the District’s eligible medical cannabis patients that will allow them to gain immediate access to their medicine,” said ABRA Director Fred Moosally.
Non-DC residents are ineligible to register in DC’s medical cannabis program but may continue to purchase cannabis from a DC-licensed dispensary if they are a patient in one of the 38 states or territories medical cannabis programs extend reciprocity. The Medical Marijuana Self-Certification Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 signed into law by Mayor Muriel Bowser on July 6, 2022, authorized temporary registrations and self-certification by DC residents at least 21 years of age and older.
Applications and details are available at abra.dc.gov/page/medical-cannabis-patients.
Media Contact:
Leslie Malone Public Affairs Specialist [email protected]