Today, April 24, 2025, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) and Metropolitan Police department closed and padlocked Orbit DC located at 1919-1921 18th Street NW marking the District Government’s 50th illegal cannabis shop closure in DC.
Illegal shop closures have taken place across the city with 17 in Ward 1, 10 in Wards 2 and 6, seven in Ward 4, three in Ward 5, and one in Wards 3, 7 and 8 each respectively.
Closures have also recovered illegal and untested drugs from each of the unlicensed businesses and non-registered firearms from nine locations. To date, MPD has seized 529.9 pounds of cannabis, 82.2 pounds of entheogenic mushrooms, 17.4 pounds of mushroom edibles, 25.6 of THC wax, 18 pounds of THC resin, and 43.6 pounds of vape cartridges.
ABCA and MPD’s increased enforcement actions, authorized by legislation that took effect in July 2024, have also prompted an additional 20 illegal shops to close on their own volition and/or as a result of property owners terminating leases to avoid potential fines of $10,000 each.
The closure milestone follows the program’s record sales month in March 2025 with licensed retailers selling $3.675,887 in cannabis products to registered patients—exceeding the previous record from April of 2023 by $87,781 and $1,004,778 more than March of 2024. Product sales trends in April indicate that a new record may be set.
“ABCA is committed to responsibly growing DC’s medical cannabis program to ensure patients have access to a diverse range of cannabis products that are free from harmful substances”, said ABCA Director Fred Moosally. “Our ongoing closure of illegal cannabis shops benefits patients, strengthens the licensed medical cannabis sectors, and the overall safety of our neighborhoods.”
Sales have been propelled by the licensing and opening of new retailers and internet retailers—bringing the count to 56 and two respectively, a 142.5 percent increase in the number of registered DC resident and non-resident patients compared to March of 2024, and non-resident patients from 40 jurisdictions being able to purchase from retailers through reciprocity permissions.
All of DC’s 58 licensed and opened medical cannabis internet retailers and retailers are listed by ward at abca.dc.gov . DC residents can similarly register for a two-year patient registration for free online and start to purchase immediately upon registering.
“Our joint efforts send a message loud and clear to anyone operating an unlicensed business like this in our city,” said Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Jeff Kopp. “You must comply with the law, or you will be shut down and you could face criminal charges.”
The public is encouraged to support ABCA’s and MPD’s efforts to maintain a safe and healthy medical cannabis market by reporting suspected illegal cannabis shops, product sales, and potential violations using ABCA’s online form . Submissions can be made anonymously.
- Medical cannabis licensing and enforcement should be directed to ABCA at [email protected] .
- Illegal product seizure and arrests should be directed to MPD at [email protected] .