District regulators temporarily hit pause on their attempt to revoke the medical cannabis retailer license of Mirage, Inc., but the Union Market-area store isn’t out of the woods yet.
According to an order issued on July 22, 2026, by the District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis (ABC) Board, the regulatory agency has placed a stay on its own proposed revocation order while a separate summary enforcement action against the licensee plays out.
Mirage, Inc. held a Medical Cannabis Retailer License (ABCA-129298) for a location at 1278 5th Street NE, situated in D.C.’s vibrant Union Market neighborhood.
The legal friction began earlier this spring when Mirage failed to open and begin operations within the required 120-day timeframe following the issuance of its license. On April 22, 2026, the licensee was called before the Board for a Fact-Finding Hearing regarding the operational delay.
Following that hearing, the Board issued Proposed Order No. 2026-507 on May 13, 2026, moving to revoke Mirage’s license and denying the company’s request to place the retail license into safekeeping—a status often used by licensees to preserve their legal permit while navigating build-outs, leasing disputes, or financing hurdles.
However, the administrative landscape shifted rapidly two months later. On July 10, 2026, the Board issued a separate Notice of Summary Revocation against Mirage.
In response to the summary action, counsel for Mirage, Yutong Zhou, filed a request for a hearing before the Board and formally waived the standard hearing timeline requirements under District regulations (22-C DCMR § 6203).
In Board Order No. 2026-639, signed by Chairperson Donovan Anderson and fellow Board members, the ABC Board determined that it would stay its initial proposed revocation order from May while the summary enforcement proceeding takes precedence.
“The Board stays the proposed order based on the intervening enforcement action and will determine whether to continue that matter based on the outcome of the enforcement action,” the ruling states.
Essentially, rather than pursuing two parallel paths toward license cancellation—one based on opening delays and another based on the summary enforcement case—the Board is prioritizing the outcome of the summary action. Once that enforcement proceeding concludes, regulators will decide whether to lift the stay and revisit the original failure-to-open revocation order.
The proceedings against Mirage highlight D.C.’s increasingly strict enforcement posture regarding medical cannabis licensees. As the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) works to transition social equity applicants and manage the District’s expanding legal market, regulatory deadlines and compliance obligations are being scrutinized far more aggressively than in past years.
For now, Mirage, Inc.’s retail license remains frozen in legal limbo as both sides prepare for the upcoming summary revocation hearing.
