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DC's Licensed Cannabis Market by the Numbers: What ABCA's Own Data Shows

The ABCA's monthly reports reveal significant shifts in DC's cannabis market. Here's what the data shows about where the industry is heading.

By DCWeedHub Editorial · Published · Updated

DC's Licensed Cannabis Market by the Numbers: What ABCA's Own Data Shows

Short answer: DC's legal cannabis market is medical-only and small enough to count store by store. As of Oct. 15, 2026, ABCA's operational list shows 74 retailers: 72 storefronts and 2 delivery-only (ABCA Find a Medical Cannabis Retailer). In ABCA's latest monthly report (August 2026), the program had 143,556 registered patients and $9,846,506 in total monthly sales (ABCA MCP Report, August 2026). Every number below comes from ABCA itself.

Need to buy legally in DC? Register first: start your ABCA registration. Then find a store in the licensed DC dispensary directory.

Where the stores are: operational retailers by ward

Ward Operational retailers on ABCA's list (Oct. 15, 2026)
Ward 2 18
Ward 1 17
Ward 6 12
Ward 4 10
Ward 3 5
Ward 5 5
Ward 8 3
Ward 7 2
No ward listed 2
Total 74

Source: ABCA operational retailer list, Oct. 15, 2026. Ward counts are tallied from the list's addresses.

Ward 2 has the most operational retailers. Wards 7 and 8 together have 5 of 74, or about 6.8% (5 ÷ 74). We go deeper in Mapping licensed cannabis access in Wards 7 and 8.

A license isn't the same as an open door. ABCA's separate license register counted 77 Active retail licenses as of Oct. 16, 2026, including 20 in Ward 2, compared with Ward 2's 18 stores on the operational list (ABCA licensed retailer register, DC GIS). A store can hold an Active license without yet appearing on the operational list. To check a specific store, use how to check if a DC dispensary is licensed.

Patients: registrations roughly doubled in a year

ABCA counted 143,556 registered patients in August 2026, up from 73,407 in August 2025 (ABCA monthly reports). The count includes people who registered by self-certification, which lets DC residents 21+ register without a practitioner's recommendation (ABCA Medical Cannabis Patients). Our self-certification guide walks through it.

Registrations aren't the same as buyers. ABCA also reports 25,005 DC resident buyers in August 2026, up from 19,052 a year earlier, a 31.2% increase (analysis).

Sales: what ABCA reports, and what it doesn't

ABCA reported $9,846,506 in total program sales for August 2026, down from $10,605,830 in July (−7.2% month over month). DC resident sales were $4,062,746 in August, up from $3,205,556 in August 2025 (+26.7%). The August report counted 66 retailers.

ABCA's monthly reports don't break sales out by product category in the figures we track, so this page makes no claims about product mix. Two months of totals also aren't enough to call a seasonal pattern. For the full August breakdown and charts, see our DC cannabis market report through August 2026.

September update: ABCA's September 2026 report shows 149,199 registered patients and 67 retailers. See the September 2026 market report.

Visitors

ABCA lets qualifying out-of-state medical patients buy in DC under its reciprocity rules (ABCA Medical Cannabis Reciprocity). We haven't found an ABCA figure for visitors' share of customers, so we don't estimate one. Visitors can start with visitor rules for buying in DC.

What comes next is up to Congress, not just the Council

DC's licensed market sells to registered medical patients only. Adults 21+ may possess cannabis under Initiative 71 (D.C. Code § 48-904.01), but a congressional budget rider bars the District from spending funds to legalize recreational sales. The current stopgap funding law keeps that rider in place through Dec. 11, 2026. Read more in why DC still doesn't have recreational sales. Separately, the emergency licensing act that governs parts of the market expires Oct. 28 (what lapses and what replaces it).

Frequently asked questions

How many licensed dispensaries does DC have?

ABCA's operational list showed 74 retailers on Oct. 15, 2026: 72 storefronts and 2 delivery-only (ABCA). Its license register counted 77 Active retail licenses on Oct. 16 (DC GIS).

Which ward has the most dispensaries?

Ward 2, with 18 operational retailers on ABCA's Oct. 15 list. Wards 7 and 8 together have 5.

How many registered medical cannabis patients does DC have?

143,556 in August 2026 (ABCA MCP Report, August 2026). ABCA's September report shows 149,199 (ABCA MCP Report, September 2026).

Does DC allow recreational sales?

No. A congressional rider bars it. See why Congress blocks recreational sales.

What share of DC sales come from visitors?

We don't estimate this here. ABCA's patient-type sales tables are analyzed in our September 2026 market report.

Sources

Last updated: October 16, 2026

DCWeedHub is an independent guide to DC's ABCA-licensed cannabis market and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by ABCA. General information, not legal advice. 21+.