The District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board has approved a settlement resolving enforcement action against Mayflower, LLC, operating as Level Up Smoke & Tobacco Shop, an unlicensed retailer located at 1938 9th Street NW.
In Order No. 2026-448, issued April 29, 2026, the Board finalized an offer-in-compromise concluding Case No. 26-ULC-00004 following the business’s summary closure earlier this year.
Under the agreement, Level Up Smoke & Tobacco Shop must pay a $3,000 fine, with a $10,000 penalty triggered for any future violations, establishing an escalating enforcement structure tied to repeat noncompliance.
The case stems from violations of D.C. cannabis laws related to unlicensed activity at the premises, part of the District’s broader crackdown on illegal cannabis retailers operating outside the regulated market.
Level Up was shut down by the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) during a coordinated enforcement action targeting unlicensed storefronts. Regulators cited the business as posing an imminent threat to public health and safety, a standard threshold used to justify summary closures under District law.
The April 29 order resolves the case without a full administrative hearing through an offer-in-compromise, a commonly used enforcement mechanism in D.C. cannabis cases.
By entering the agreement, the respondent accepted the violations and waived its right to contest the charges, present evidence, or appeal the outcome. The Board’s approval makes the settlement final, subject only to limited reconsideration or appeal timelines under D.C. administrative law.
The Level Up case reflects the District’s continued push to eliminate unlicensed cannabis retail operations following expanded enforcement authority enacted in 2024.
Since then, ABCA and MPD have carried out repeated closure operations across the city, targeting so-called “gifting shops” and other illegal retailers, often resulting in product seizures and escalating penalties for repeat offenders.
