Dispensaries in District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. Dispensaries by Ward

The District is divided into eight wards, and licensed stores operate in all of them, though not evenly. Wards 1 and 2, which take in downtown and the busy corridors to its north and west, hold 37 of the 77 stores, about 48%. Ward 2 has the most, with 20. Wards 7 and 8, mostly east of the Anacostia River, have 5 between them. We placed each store in a ward by checking its map location against the District's official 2022 ward boundaries.

Ward 1 (17 stores)

Ward 1 is the smallest ward by area and has the densest cluster of stores in the city. Five stores sit on 14th Street NW, from U Street up through Columbia Heights, and four more line lower Georgia Avenue NW. U Street NW has two in this ward and Adams Morgan's stretch of 18th Street NW has three. The rest are on 7th Street, 17th Street and Mount Pleasant Street NW.

Ward 2 (20 stores)

Ward 2 takes in downtown, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Georgetown. Connecticut Avenue NW has three stores here, all near Dupont Circle, and 9th Street NW has two. In Georgetown, two stores are on M Street NW and one more is on Wisconsin Avenue NW. The rest are spread along U, P, 5th, 6th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th and 22nd Streets NW, Florida and Rhode Island Avenues NW, and H Street NW. Every Ward 2 store is in Northwest.

Ward 3 (6 stores)

Ward 3, in upper Northwest, has 6 stores, spread thinly over a large area. Two are on Connecticut Avenue NW and one is on Wisconsin Avenue NW, with the others on MacArthur Boulevard, Macomb Street and 41st Street NW.

Ward 4 (11 stores)

Upper Georgia Avenue NW is the spine of Ward 4. Seven of the ward's 11 stores are on it, running north toward the Maryland line, and two more are on upper 14th Street NW. One is on Upshur Street NW and one on Blair Road NW, near Takoma.

Ward 5 (5 stores)

Ward 5, in the northeast part of the city, has 5 stores. Two are on North Capitol Street, one on each side of it, since North Capitol is the line between Northeast and Northwest. The others are on Rhode Island Avenue NE, Morse Street NE and Okie Street NE.

Ward 6 (13 stores)

Ward 6 is the most mixed ward on the map, with stores in all four quadrants. Capitol Hill and the Navy Yard area have the largest group: two on 8th Street SE, two on Pennsylvania Avenue SE and one each on 11th Street SE and L Street SE. H Street NE has two, and Massachusetts Avenue NE has one. Three Ward 6 stores sit on the Northwest side of the ward, on H Street, K Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW. The District's only Southwest store, on Q Street SW, is also in Ward 6.

Ward 7 (2 stores)

Ward 7 has the fewest stores of any ward, and both are east of the Anacostia River: one on Minnesota Avenue SE and one on Sheriff Road NE.

Ward 8 (3 stores)

Ward 8 has 3 stores. Two are on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE in Anacostia. The third is on 8th Street SE, in the part of Ward 8 west of the river, toward the Navy Yard.

Dispensaries by Quadrant and Street

D.C. addresses end in a quadrant, NW, NE, SE or SW, measured from the Capitol. The same street number can exist in all four, so the quadrant matters when you map a store. In our directory, 58 of the 77 stores are in Northwest, about 75%. Southeast has 10, Northeast has 8 and Southwest has 1.

• Georgia Avenue NW (11 stores): The longest cannabis strip in the city, from the 2,600 block in Ward 1 to the 7,500 block in Ward 4.
• 14th Street NW (8 stores): From Logan Circle through U Street and Columbia Heights into Ward 4.
• Connecticut Avenue NW (5 stores): Mostly near Dupont Circle, with two more in Ward 3.
• 18th Street NW (4 stores): Most of them in Adams Morgan.
• U Street NW (3 stores) and 8th Street SE (3 stores): U Street runs through Wards 1 and 2. On 8th Street SE, two stores are on Barracks Row in Ward 6 and one is farther south, toward the Navy Yard, in Ward 8.
• Two stores each: H Street NE, Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, M Street NW in Georgetown, Wisconsin Avenue NW, 9th Street NW, 17th Street NW and H Street NW.

Stores that came through the District's licensing track for former unlicensed shops had to stay at least 400 feet from an existing retailer, which helps explain why stores on the same corridor are spread out rather than side by side. Where one name runs two stores, such as Bloom @ North or New Leaf Smoke Shop, we list each location separately with its own license number.

Why D.C. Has Medical Dispensaries but No Recreational Stores

D.C. voters approved Initiative 71 in November 2014, and it took effect on February 26, 2015. Under D.C. Code § 48-904.01, adults 21 and older may possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana, give up to 1 ounce to another adult with no payment, and grow up to 6 plants at home, with no more than 3 flowering. The same section says nothing in it makes it lawful to sell marijuana.

A tax-and-regulate law would have to come from the D.C. Council, and Congress has blocked that. A rider in the District's federal spending law bars the use of District funds to enact any law that legalizes or reduces penalties for marijuana for recreational purposes. The medical program is not covered by that limit, so it is the only legal way to buy cannabis in the District, and every store in our directory is part of it.

The end of the gifting era: In the years without legal sales, "gifting" shops sold a sticker or a T-shirt and handed over cannabis as a free gift. A business that sells or exchanges cannabis without an ABCA license is an unlicensed establishment under D.C. Code § 7-1671.01. D.C. Law 24-332, effective March 22, 2023, gave those businesses a path into the medical program: a 90-day window to apply for a retailer license, open only to shops that had a D.C. business license by the end of 2022 and that were not in a residential district, within 300 feet of a school or recreation center, or within 400 feet of an existing retailer, under § 7-1671.06a.

The deadlines came in 2025. Under § 7-1671.06b, an applicant from that track had to have its retailer license issued and be open by March 31, 2025, or lose its approval. After April 1, 2025, ABCA may close and padlock an unlicensed shop without a prior hearing if an inspection finds it presents an imminent danger to public health or safety. An unlicensed shop may also not show cannabis prices in its windows or advertise cannabis where it can be seen from outside. If a shop offers you a "gift" with a purchase, it is not a licensed store and it is not in our directory.

How to Buy at a Licensed D.C. Dispensary

You need two things at the counter: a D.C. patient registration, or one from a program D.C. recognizes, and a government-issued photo ID. Staff must check both before a sale. ABCA explains the steps on its medical cannabis patients page.

• D.C. residents 21 and older: Self-certify through ABCA's customer portal. No doctor's recommendation is needed. When you apply, you get a temporary digital registration, valid for 90 days, that you can use right away. A two-year registration follows after ABCA's review.
• D.C. residents under 21: Residents 18 to 20 need a recommendation from a healthcare practitioner. Minors need a recommendation and an adult caregiver.
• Visitors 21 and older: Register as a non-resident patient by self-certifying through the same portal. You choose how long the registration lasts, and the fee depends on that. Visitors cannot use a practitioner's recommendation or a caregiver, and non-resident registrations are digital only.
• Out-of-state patients: Licensed D.C. retailers may accept patient registrations from most U.S. states and territories and some tribal nations. ABCA posts the list of eligible programs, so check it before you go.
• Purchase limit: Up to 8 ounces of medical cannabis in a rolling 30-day period, for residents and visitors alike.
• Possession: Separately, D.C. law lets any adult 21 or older carry up to 2 ounces.

Fees are from ABCA's patient and facility fee schedule, and ABCA can change them. Patient details are not shared with other agencies, and retailers track purchases by a random patient number rather than a name, according to ABCA.

Hours, Delivery and Other Store Rules

• Hours: ABCA allows retailers to open daily between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Each store's approved hours may be shorter, so check before you go.
• Age at the door: No one under 18 may enter a retail store unless accompanied by a caregiver with a patient registration.
• License on the wall: A licensed retailer must display its paper ABCA license on the premises. Our listings show the same ABCA number, which you can check against ABCA's retailer map.
• Delivery: A retailer may deliver if it holds ABCA's delivery endorsement. ABCA also licenses internet retailers, which only deliver and have no storefront, so they are not in this directory.
• Tasting rooms: ABCA offers retailers endorsements for on-site consumption, called safe-use treatment facilities, and for education tastings and summer gardens. Ask the store whether it has one.

Cannabis Tax in Washington, D.C.

Medical cannabis is taxed at 6% of the sale price under D.C. Code § 47-2002. The District's general sales tax rate rose to 7% on October 1, 2026, but the separate medical cannabis rate in the same section stayed at 6%. Shelf prices may not include the tax, and prices vary from store to store, so compare menus first. For how D.C. compares with the states, see our guide to cannabis prices by state.

Where You Can Use Cannabis in D.C.

• Not in public: Under D.C. Code § 48-911.01, smoking or otherwise consuming marijuana on a street, alley, sidewalk, park or parking area, in a vehicle on any of those, or in any place open to the public, including a private club, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.
• At home: A private residence is the main legal place to use cannabis, subject to the owner's or landlord's rules. A property owner may ban it.
• In the car: Using cannabis in a vehicle on a public street is illegal, and driving under the influence of any drug is DUI in D.C. There is no numeric THC limit, so a case rests on evidence of impairment.
• Federal land: The National Mall, many parks and monuments, and federal buildings across the city are federal property. Federal law applies there, and possession is a federal offense no matter what D.C. law says. Our federal marijuana law guide explains more.
• Leaving the District: Taking cannabis into Maryland or Virginia is illegal under federal law, even though both allow adult possession. Maryland has licensed adult-use stores of its own; see our Maryland dispensary directory. To compare the rules elsewhere, read our state-by-state cannabis law guides.

Tips for Shopping at a D.C. Dispensary

• Register before you go: Set up your ABCA registration online first, then bring the digital registration and your photo ID.
• Check the quadrant: 8th Street SE and 8th Street NW are miles apart. Match the full address, quadrant included.
• Look for the ABCA license: A licensed store shows it on the premises. A shop that sells merchandise and throws in cannabis as a "gift" is not licensed.
• Use the corridors: If you are near Georgia Avenue NW, 14th Street NW or Connecticut Avenue NW, several stores are a short walk or bus ride apart.
• Keep it off the Mall: Do not carry cannabis onto federal land, and keep it sealed in the car.

New to cannabis? Our Cannabis 101 guides cover the basics, and our strain guides explain what you will see on a menu.

Washington, D.C. Dispensary FAQ

Does your dispensary need more visibility? Cannabis shoppers use The Weed Street Journal to compare stores, read strain guides and check the law before they buy. Advertise with us · Spotted a wrong address, phone number or hours? Tell us and we will fix it free.

How we build this directory: Store names, addresses and license numbers come from ABCA's records of licensed medical cannabis retailers. We list storefront retailers only, not internet retailers. We check each store against map data and refresh the list as licenses change, so our count can differ slightly from ABCA's. We assign each store to a ward by matching its map location to the District's official 2022 ward boundaries, and check the result against ABCA's own list of retailers by ward. For the rules in every state, see our state-by-state cannabis law guides.