Scoop: D.C. has only one marijuana inspector
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
The District has only one marijuana inspector to police the entire Wild West of weed in the nation's capital.
Why it matters: Industry operators say D.C. needs more manpower to crack down on unlicensed I-71 weed shops and oversee the growing legal medical dispensary market.
Zoom in: The Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration's (ABCA) sole marijuana inspector, Jason Peru, is tasked with performing regular inspections of the nearly dozen medical marijuana dispensaries in D.C. He ensures their inventory is up to standard and that proper security measures are in place.
- In addition, he's responsible for investigating the more than 100 I-71 shops, signing cease and desist orders and attending hearings.
"We were all surprised recently when we found out there was just one inspector," says Linda Mercado Greene, the owner of medical marijuana dispensary Anacostia Organics.
- Greene and other medical marijuana shop owners want the District government to begin shutting down I-71 shops.
ABCA had told medical dispensary operators that it was expecting to post job descriptions for two new inspectors, according to Grace Hyde, a director at family-owned dispensary District Cannabis.
- But ABCA told them the postings are stuck at D.C. HR, awaiting final approval, Hyde says.
- "It's the epitome of slow bureaucratic government," Hyde says.
The other side: ABCA didn't say when they plan to hire additional staff. D.C. HR said it is "collaborating with ABCA on potential future hiring" and will post positions once finalized.
- ABCA tells Axios that the next fiscal year budget funds an enforcement team of one supervisory investigator overseeing three investigators. In addition, one compliance analyst and two compliance auditors are supposed to be dedicated to medical marijuana businesses.
- The agency says it "has sufficient resources" to implement a new law that took effect on July 15 giving cannabis regulators increased enforcement authority.
Context: Since Congress blocks D.C. from legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana, I-71 shops have operated under a loophole in the law, offering customers a cheaper product with no medical form needed.
- D.C. is asking these unlicensed "gifting shops" to get legally permitted by applying for medical marijuana licenses — or be forced to shut down.
The latest: So far, ABCA "has inspected more than 120 suspected illegal businesses and issued 79 written warnings, 23 cease and desist orders, and one summary closure notice," spokesperson Mary McNamara wrote in an email to Axios.