Two advocacy groups are calling on the Trump administration to shut down cannabis dispensaries they say are operating illegally near schools and daycares in the District of Columbia after losing a related lawsuit in the D.C. Court of Appeals.
In a letter sent Aug. 15, 2025 week to President Trump, Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and 1000 Feet.org argued that the D.C. government licensed multiple cannabis retailers in violation of the Federal Drug-Free School Zones Act. The groups said the issue represents “ongoing lawlessness” by city officials and urged swift federal intervention.
The letter points to several dispensaries — including Green Theory in the Palisades, DC Smoke downtown, and DC Garden Hill on Capitol Hill — that the groups say are unlawfully close to elementary schools and daycare centers. It also highlights Proper Exotic, which is currently seeking city approval for a location near early childhood programs. All of these dispensaries follow D.C. regulations that they must be 400ft from schools. However, not all daycare centers qualify as schools and this is closer than the typical 1,000 feet rule that other cities with greater space use.
While acknowledging that interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin took initial steps against Green Theory earlier this year, the groups said no meaningful enforcement has followed. They called on federal officials to treat any future licensing of dispensaries within restricted zones as a potential criminal conspiracy under federal law.
“We hope the Administration prioritizes enforcing laws against marijuana near schools as part of its public safety initiative,” the letter states. “However, if that broader initiative, no matter how impressive, still leaves marijuana retailers near elementary schools and daycares, it will have failed DC’s children.”
The appeal comes as the administration continues its federal take over of Washington, D.C. and alleged crackdown on crime.
