Is cannabis legal in District of Columbia?

Q: Is cannabis legal in District of Columbia?

Cannabis in District of Columbia is legal only under specific conditions. In the District of Columbia, recreational possession, gifting, and home cultivation are legal for adults 21 and older (Initiative 71), but commercial recreational sales are not permitted — there is no licensed adult-use retail. Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA · CANNABIS

Cannabis

Conditional: In the District of Columbia, recreational possession, gifting, and home cultivation are legal for adults 21 and older (Initiative 71), but commercial recreational sales are not permitted — there is no licensed adult-use retail.

Conditional

Summary

In the District of Columbia, recreational possession, gifting, and home cultivation are legal for adults 21 and older (Initiative 71), but commercial recreational sales are not permitted — there is no licensed adult-use retail. Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

Source: https://mayor.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/mayormb/release_content/attachments/I-71Factsheet.pdf · Updated July 12, 2026

District of Columbia Cannabis topics

Cannabis Legal Status in District of Columbia →Conditional
In the District of Columbia, recreational possession, gifting, and home cultivation are legal for adults 21 and older (Initiative 71), but commercial recreational sales are not permitted — there is no licensed adult-use retail.
Possession Limits in District of Columbia →Conditional
In the District of Columbia, adults 21 and older may possess up to 2 ounces, and possessing more than 2 ounces remains a crime.
Home Cultivation in District of Columbia →Conditional
The District of Columbia allows home growing at your primary residence: up to 6 plants per person, no more than 3 of them mature, and up to 12 per household with two or more adults, no more than 6 of them mature.
Public Use in District of Columbia →Conditional
Using cannabis in public is not allowed in the District of Columbia: it is legal only on private property, and it is prohibited in public and on federal land, which covers much of DC.
Buying Cannabis in District of Columbia →Conditional
The District of Columbia has no legal recreational cannabis sales market, so buying or selling cannabis recreationally is illegal there.

Other District of Columbia laws

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