Emergency rule by the District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board also removes passport-style photo requirement for medical cannabis patients.
The District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board has adopted a third emergency rule extending temporary medical cannabis patient registration cards from 30 days to 90 days, a move aimed at preventing disruptions in patient access while regulators process a surge in applications.
The emergency rule, administered by the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA), also eliminates the requirement that patients submit a passport-style photograph when applying for a medical cannabis registration card.
District regulators say the changes were necessary after applications for medical cannabis patient cards increased dramatically over the past year. According to ABCA, the number of applications rose from 2,130 in July 2024 to 6,699 in December 2025. The agency said the influx has made it difficult to complete application reviews and issue permanent registration cards within the previous 30-day validity period for temporary cards.
Temporary registration cards allow patients to legally purchase medical cannabis while their applications are under review. Under the new rule, those temporary cards will remain valid for 90 days, giving regulators more time to process applications and reducing the risk that patients could lose legal access to cannabis while waiting for approval.
Board officials expressed concern that patients whose temporary cards expire before receiving a permanent registration card might turn to unregulated cannabis sources. The extension, regulators said, is intended to prevent those gaps in legal access.
The rulemaking also removes the requirement that applicants provide a passport-style photograph with their application. Regulators determined the requirement was redundant because applicants already must submit a photocopy of a government-issued photo identification.
According to the Board, the photograph requirement also created additional costs and administrative burdens for patients and raised privacy concerns for some individuals considering participation in the District’s medical cannabis program.
The Board initially adopted the emergency changes in July 2025 and later approved a second emergency extension while the rulemaking moved through the public notice process. On March 4, 2026, the Board voted 4-0 to adopt a third emergency rule to keep the provisions in place while a proposed permanent rule undergoes review by the Council of the District of Columbia.
The emergency rules took effect immediately upon adoption and will remain in place for 120 days, expiring July 2, 2026, unless they are replaced by permanent regulations.
