ENROLLED ORIGINAL
A RESOLUTION
25-647
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
October 1, 2024
To declare the existence of an emergency, due to congressional review, with respect to the need
to allow the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board to issue temporary non-resident
registration identification cards that are valid for periods between 3 days and no longer
than one year in length, allow licensed testing laboratories to receive and test samples of
medical cannabis products from qualifying patients, allow licensed testing laboratories to
conduct quality assurance or research and development testing for cultivation centers and
manufacturers, amend the definition of a social equity applicant to include arrests and
convictions of qualifying family members for a cannabis or drug offense, expand the list
of eligible family members under the social equity applicant definition to include siblings
and grandparents, clarify that existing licensed cultivation centers and retailers, and
applicants that scored 150 points or more during the open application period that
occurred between November 29, 2021 and March 28, 2022 that are authorized by statute
to receive a cultivation center, manufacturer, or retailer license apart from a designated
open application period are not counted in calculating the 50% set aside requirement,
clarify that the 5 cultivation center registration applicants that scored 150 points or more
during the same open application period shall automatically receive a manufacturer
license provided they pay the annual fee and register with the ABC Board, allow the
Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board to issue conditional licenses to testing
laboratory applicants, and to waive the application fee for testing laboratory licenses.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Medical Cannabis Clarification and Non-Resident Patient Access
Congressional Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024”.
Sec. 2. (a) There existed an immediate need to issue temporary non-resident registration
identification cards that are valid for periods between 3 days and no longer than one year in
length and to waive the application fee for testing laboratory licenses, among other things.
(b) In July 2024, the Council enacted the Medical Cannabis Clarification and Non-
Resident Patient Access Emergency Amendment Act of 2024, effective July 9, 2024 (D.C. Act
25-527; 71 DCR 9593), (“emergency legislation”) and the Medical Cannabis Clarification and
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 ENROLLED ORIGINAL
Non-Resident Patient Access Temporary Amendment Act of 2024, passed on 2nd reading on
September 17, 2024 (Enrolled version Bill 25-903) (“temporary legislation”) to address the
above-mentioned issues.
(c) The emergency legislation expires on October 21, 2024. The temporary legislation
must still complete the 30-day review period required by section 602(c)(1) of the District of
Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-
206.02(c)(1)), and will not become law until after the emergency legislation has expired.
(d) Comprehensive permanent legislation addressing these issues has been introduced but
must complete the legislative process.
(e) It is necessary that the provisions of the emergency legislation continue in effect,
without interruption, until the temporary legislation is in effect.
Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute
emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Medical Cannabis Clarification and Non-
Resident Patient Access Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 be adopted
after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
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