Another illegal weed shop busted in DC

WASHINGTON – Another illegal cannabis shop was shut down and raided on Wednesday, the fifth closure since a new law passed by the D.C. Council has been enforced in recent weeks.

The Green Room on U St. near 14th St. was padlocked by D.C. Police and officials from the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) around noon.

According to ABCA Director Fred Moosally, the shop was operating illegally and without a license – they were sent a warning letter in April and a cease-and-desist order in July, before Wednesday’s raid.

“This isn’t a surprise to anybody,” said Jeffery Carroll, executive assistant chief of police for the Metropolitan Police Department. “It’s just that they’ve refused to stop their operations, a closure notice has been issued by the ABCA board, and we’re coming out to make those closures.”

Just a few feet away from The Green Room is Supreme Terpene, which was the first illegal cannabis shop to be shut down on Sept. 5. Another in Brightwood and two more on H Street have also recently been padlocked due to the new law. 

In some cases, owners have been charged as well.

Moosally said they have conducted undercover operations or regulatory enforcement at more than 120 unlicensed shops operating in the District. Many have been in business for years and have been operating under the ‘gifting’ loophole where consumers purchase an item and are ‘gifted’ cannabis.

And it’s not just untested weed they’re selling, he added. These raids are finding dangerous drugs being sold to consumers.

“We’re finding psychedelic mushrooms, DMT, cannabis products laced with amphetamines …  So, we’re seeing a lot of schedule 1 substances in addition to cannabis,” Moosally said.

Evidence photo via Metropolitan Police Department

Opium was discovered in one shop as well, Carroll said.

“People come here not realizing that it’s an unlicensed cannabis shop to just buy marijuana and are maybe getting other harmful drugs inside that marijuana,” Carroll added. “So the message to these other unlicensed cannabis shops is that you need to follow the law. If you don’t have the appropriate licensing, you need to close down for the safety of the community and everyone involved.”

D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen introduced and led the D.C. Council to pass the Medical Cannabis Program Enforcement Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 in January of this year to grant ABCA the legal authority to enforce against illegally operating businesses.

District leaders want to emphasize that there is a legal cannabis marketplace in D.C., with nearly a dozen retailers now and more coming.

Per ABCA, there were 75 retailer applications filed during the statutory unlicensed operator period, and 13 of the applications filed by unlicensed operators during this period have been approved.

Another 34 applications filed during this period are currently undergoing a 45-day public comment period, have been placarded, or are pending Board review.

Twenty-five illegally operating cannabis retailers have closed down on their own, following warning letters.

In August, ABCA issued the District’s first medical cannabis testing laboratory license to ClearSight Labs.