The first 265 days of D.C. medical cannabis retail license hearings

Almost eight months ago, D.C. opened its doors to new medical cannabis retail applicants. The Outlaw analyzed ABCA Board decisions from November 1, 2023 to July 22, 2024 to get a sense of the makeup of the District’s growing cannabis industry.

There are 214 new retail licenses currently in the process of opening. 162 licenses are classified as social equity licenses. 52 are standard applicants who did not qualify as social equity. This analysis does not include cultivation or manufacturer or past medical retail licenses. There are a little over half a dozen current medical retailers in the city. 

84 of the licenses are placard or further along in the opening process compared to 130 conditional licenses that may or may not move forward within the year they have to complete the licensing process. 

52 of the licenses were unlicensed applicants that transitioned from the gray market. 23 of those licenses were unlicensed social equity candidates that qualified to transition. 

It is important to note that license are still being processed from the current standard retail application period that closes Aug 29, 2024 and past periods. ABCA is still processing additional social equity and unlicensed applications. These findings are preliminary and do not represent the entire picture of the future market.

Our analysis found the following: 

The full breakdown

• 22 internet retail licenses made it as far or further in the process than a conditional license
  • 15 are conditional social equity 
  • 2 is conditional non-social equity
  • 3 are placarded social equity
  • 2 are placarded non-social equity, formerly unlicensed 

• 192 retail licenses made it as far or further in the process than a conditional license
  • 113 are conditional
    • 103 social equity
    • 10 non-social equity
  • 29 placarded
    • 12 social-equity
    • 5 non-social equity
    • 5 social equity, formerly unlicensed
    • 7 non-social equity, formerly unlicensed
  • 10 placarded with an ANC settlement
    • 2 social-equity
    • 4 social equity, formerly unlicensed
    • 1 non-social equity
    • 3 non-social equity, formerly unlicensed
  • 26 placarded with a hearing scheduled
    • 8 scheduled social equity
    • 3 social equity, formerly unlicensed
    • 15 non-social equity, formerly unlicensed
  • 14 licensed soon to open or opened
    • 1 social equity
    • 6 social equity, formerly unlicensed
    • 7 non-social equity, formerly unlicensed