ENROLLED ORIGINAL
A RESOLUTION
25-298
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
October 3, 2023
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to define the terms non-
District resident and another jurisdiction, and to provide the Alcoholic Beverage and
Cannabis Board with the authority to issue patient and caregiver registration cards at no
cost.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Medical Cannabis Patient Access Clarification Emergency
Declaration Resolution of 2023”.
Sec. 2. (a) The District currently permits non-District resident patients who are not
enrolled in another jurisdiction’s medical cannabis program to participate in its medical cannabis
program by registering as a non-resident cardholder. Patients from all 50 states have registered
with the District as non-resident cardholders, and as of July 31, 2023, international patient
visitors from 46 countries have registered with the District as non-resident cardholders.
(b) There is an immediate need to amend the definition of non-resident cardholder to
clarify that the term “non-District resident” in the definition includes international patients who
are visiting the District and to amend the definition of “qualifying patient” to include non-
resident cardholders.
(c) The emergency legislation also defines the term “another jurisdiction” to clarify that
this term is not just limited to the 50 states of the United States but means any state,
commonwealth, or territory of the United States.
(d) To eliminate barriers to access for qualifying patients in the medical cannabis
program, there is also a need to permit the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board through
rulemaking to make patient and caregiver registrations available at no cost.
Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute
emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Medical Cannabis Patient Access
Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2023 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.