A new law in Washington D.C. will provide a temporary tax break for medical cannabis patients.
On Friday, February 11, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Medical Marijuana Patient Access Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2022.
The Act’s signing created D.C.’s first medical cannabis sales tax holiday, which will waive the six percent sales tax from Friday, April 15 through Sunday, April 24.
According to a press release, the Act also permits issuing patient and caregiver registrations that are valid for two years, twice the length of the standard issuance period, through September 30.
To help seniors acquire their patient registrations, D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) will host Senior Week from Tuesday, February 22 through Friday, February 25.
Each day of Senior Week, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., walk-in applicants with completed applications will receive physical and digital registration.
Staff will also be available to help those who need help completing their applications.
“Senior Week will provide qualifying patients 65 years of age and older with the option to obtain a two-year registration card at no cost prior to the start of the medical cannabis sales tax holiday on April 15,” says ABRA Director Fred Moosally. “We appreciate the steps taken by the D.C. Council to ease the burdens for qualifying patients to access medical cannabis, a result of this emergency legislation.”
The Act allows D.C. residents over 65 to self-certify that they will use cannabis medicinally instead of including the standard doctor’s recommendation with their applications.
According to the release, previously adopted emergency rules waive the standard ($100) and reduced rate ($25) registration fees through April 24.
Additionally, the rules allow patients with registrations that expired on or after March 1, 2020, to purchase medical cannabis at any of D.C.’s seven licensed dispensaries until September 30.
Residents seeking patient or caregiver registrations can acquire them online, by mail, or in person at the ABRA office every Thursday through April 28 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The ABRA office address is 2000 14th Street NW, Suite 400 South, Washington, DC 20009
