Washington, D.C.

Every on-site venue in D.C. runs on the medical cannabis program. Adults 21 and older can self-certify as patients at any dispensary — typically for a small fee ($10 for a few days is common) — using a government-issued photo ID. No doctor's note, no diagnosis, no permanent card required. Register once per venue or use the temporary options designed for out-of-town visitors.

ABCA permits fall into three shapes: outdoor summer gardens (smoke a joint in a patio or courtyard), education tastings (structured product tastings, often paired with meditation, yoga, or a class), and interior lounge rooms (Amsterdam-cafe style). Venues carry different mixes — check each listing.

D.C. runs a dispensary-attached consumption model, similar to California, Colorado, and Nevada. You buy your product at the dispensary counter and consume it in the venue's licensed on-site area — a summer garden, tasting room, or lounge. Some venues also allow bring-your-own for products purchased at other licensed D.C. dispensaries.

D.C.'s medical program follows the standard 10 mg THC per serving and 100 mg per package for edibles. Registered patients (including self-certified adults) may possess up to 2 ounces of flower in public. No alcohol at any licensed consumption venue.

Initiative 71 legalized adult possession and home cultivation but a Congressional appropriations rider — renewed every fiscal year since 2014 — blocks the District from spending funds to license, regulate, or tax adult-use retail. D.C. built its on-site consumption regime inside the pre-existing medical framework because that's the only path the rider left open.

Every D.C. venue in this directory operates under state-cannabis medical licensing — not hemp-derived THC. That means D.C.'s on-site scene is fully insulated from Section 781 of the federal Continuing Appropriations Act (2026) taking effect November 12, 2026.