Washington D.C. residents will no longer need a doctor to obtain medical cannabis

On Tuesday, the Washington, D.C., City Council unanimously passed an emergency bill that eliminates the requirement to obtain a doctor’s recommendation in order to purchase medical cannabis.

Residents over the age of 21 will now be able to «self-certify» that they need cannabis for medical purposes when they register to get a patient card. This card will give them access to one of the city’s seven medical cannabis dispensaries.

Earlier this year, the District Council passed a similar bill allowing residents over the age of 65 to self-certify that they need cannabis for medical purposes.

Easier access to medical cannabis

The bill aims to facilitate access to medical marijuana for potential patients, some of whom may face difficulties finding a doctor who will provide a recommendation for cannabis —620 are registered with the city to do so, out of thousands in D.C.—or may not have the time, insurance coverage, or money needed for a doctor’s visit.

The measure also aims to support the city's medical cannabis dispensaries, which are facing the growing competition from «donation» stores and services». Since recreational cannabis is not yet legal in D.C., some businesses are taking advantage of the fact that «gifting cannabis» is legal to sell T-shirts or juice, along with a certain amount of «free» weed, which is often cheaper than what’s sold at dispensaries.

«Because of the low barriers to entry into the gray market, a significant number of patients who use cannabis for medical purposes have shifted from purchasing it from legal medical dispensaries to the illicit gray market, which poses a significant risk to the long-term viability of the legal medical cannabis industry in the district,» according to a statement by Kenyan McDuffie and Mary Cheh, the two city council members sponsoring the bill.

«If this trend continues, it is possible that the gray market sales could wipe out the District’s legal cannabis dispensaries. Given the… benefits that legal, regulated, and safe dispensaries offer medical cannabis users in the District, it is vital that the industry survive until the District can establish a regulated recreational market and transition to comprehensive regulation of adult-use cannabis products.»

The bill will be submitted to Mayor Muriel Bowser for her signature; she has already expressed her support for the bill.