Short answer: After four flat years near $33–38 million, DC’s licensed dispensary (retail) sales jumped to $59.34 million in 2025 — up 81.5% from 2024. January–August 2026 is running 36.7% ahead of the same months of 2025 ($50.33M vs $36.82M). Registered patients rose from 29,677 in December 2024 to 143,556 in August 2026. The market is larger, more crowded, and more resident-driven than it was before the 2025 licensing transition.
This is DCWeedHub’s independent read of every monthly Medical Cannabis Program Report ABCA has published since 2020, through the August 2026 report (posted mid-September 2026). We use ABCA’s Dispensaries line as retail market size — not ABCA’s “Total,” which also adds cultivator and manufacturer wholesale.
Patients shopping today’s licensed market: licensed DC dispensaries · dispensary map. New patients: start your ABCA registration. Every month’s figures in one place: our DC cannabis market data hub.
Data as of: ABCA August 2026 Medical Cannabis Program Report. Last updated: October 7, 2026 (Content edit).
1. The 2025 step change is still the story
Monthly dispensary sales held between about $2.5M and $3.6M from 2021 through February 2025. Then they climbed to $3.68M in March 2025 and $5.46M in April 2025, and have stayed between $5.2M and $6.7M a month since. The record month so far is May 2026 ($6.71M). August 2026 came in at $6.49M, up 19.1% from August 2025.
The timing lines up with the March 31, 2025 deadline for previously unlicensed shops that had applied to ABCA to be licensed and operating. [Analysis] ABCA’s reports do not state a cause; the coincidence is ours to flag, not ABCA’s to claim. (Background: how DC’s gifting shops were shut down.)
Source: ABCA Medical Cannabis Program Reports through Aug 2026.
Calendar-year totals (Analytics sum of monthly Dispensaries lines): 2021 $35.55M · 2022 $36.04M · 2023 $37.88M · 2024 $32.69M · 2025 $59.34M.
2. Registered patients: almost five-fold since late 2024
ABCA counted 29,677 registered patients in December 2024 and 143,556 in August 2026.
Two earlier policy breaks still show in the series:
- July 2022 self-certification for DC residents 21+ (D.C. Act 24-469): 15,730 → 21,051 in a month.
- April 2023 emergency-rule expiry: 28,833 → 20,656.
Not every registered patient buys each month. In August 2026, 25,005 DC residents made a purchase — about 17% of those registered.
Source: ABCA Program Update memos (2020) and monthly reports (Oct 2021–Aug 2026).
3. DC residents now drive most sales
In December 2021, non-residents accounted for 52.4% of dispensary sales (all via reciprocity). By August 2026, DC residents accounted for 62.6%. Visitors using ABCA’s self-certified temporary registration made up 30.4%, and reciprocity card holders 7.0%.
Among temporary registrations in August 2026, Virginia led (4,334), followed by Maryland (1,740). (How visitors register: can tourists buy weed in DC?)
Source: ABCA monthly reports, patient-type sales tables.
4. Many more stores — each selling less
In December 2020, DC had 7 operating dispensaries, averaging about $428,000 in sales that month. In 2026, ABCA’s monthly reports show 64–69 “Total Retailers,” averaging about $93,000 per retailer per month ($98,325 in August 2026 across 66 retailers). The pie got bigger; it also got sliced thinner.
Source: ABCA Program Update memo (Dec 2020) / Dec 2021 YoY table; ABCA monthly reports Dec 2025–Aug 2026.
Separately, ABCA’s licensed-retailer register (DC GIS snapshot used in Analytics’ Sep 29, 2026 pull) lists 79 retail records, concentrated in Wards 2 (20), 1 (17), and 6 (14). ABCA also reports 113 unlicensed facilities closed to date cumulatively, with Ward 1 leading closures (36). Register counts and monthly “Total Retailers” are different series — we keep them labeled separately. To confirm any store is on ABCA’s licensed list, use our DC dispensary license lookup guide.
5. Flower’s share is shrinking
Flower/bud was 65% of retail sales value in 2022 and about 52% in January–August 2026. In 2026 year-to-date, vape cartridges are about 18%, edibles 12%, and pre-rolls 11%. ABCA added several product categories in September 2023, so part of the shift is reclassification. Who makes those products locally: licensed DC cannabis manufacturers and the cultivators who grow DC cannabis.
Source: ABCA “Product/Retailer Sales by Type” tables, Jan 2022–Aug 2026.
Also worth knowing
- Seasonality (2021–2024, pre-break): April was the strongest month (~9% above the yearly monthly average); September the weakest (~7% below).
- Transactions grew faster than sales: total patient transactions rose from about 29,000 (Dec 2024) to about 95,000 (Aug 2026), roughly 3.3×, while sales rose about 2.3×. [Analysis] Growth came more from more buyers making smaller tickets than from bigger baskets — not a unit-price finding (ABCA reports value per transaction, not shelf prices).
Methodology (short)
- Source: ABCA Medical Cannabis Program monthly reports, 2020–Aug 2026 (metrics pages linked from ABCA Program Metrics).
- Sales definition: Dispensaries (retail) only. Patient-type sales reconcile to that total in all comparable months in Analytics’ validation log.
- Gaps: ABCA did not post monthly reports for February–October 2021; some 2021 sales were recovered from later YoY tables; patient figures for those months are unavailable.
- Interpretation: “Why” statements are labeled [Analysis]. ABCA does not publish causes.
What this means for readers
If you are choosing where to shop, the data say the licensed market is real, growing, and competitive — dozens of Active retailers, not a handful of legacy shops. It does not say which store is “best,” and it does not change the legal path: medical registration first, then ABCA-licensed retail only. (Why there is still no recreational option: Congress’s DC budget rider, explained.)
Find stores: dispensary directory · map. Register: DC medical cannabis registration.
About this report
DCWeedHub is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for ABCA or the DC government. This report summarizes public data for general information. It is not legal or medical advice. Figures may change if ABCA revises its reports. 21+.
Sources
- ABCA Medical Cannabis Metrics 2026: https://abca.dc.gov/page/medical-cannabis-metrics-2026
- DCWeedHub analysis of ABCA Medical Cannabis Program monthly reports, December 2020 through August 2026
- ABCA Aug 2026 report PDF (as retrieved by Analytics): https://abca.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/MCP%20Report%20-%20August%202026.pdf
Last updated: October 7, 2026
DCWeedHub is an independent guide to DC’s ABCA-licensed cannabis market. We list ABCA-licensed businesses only and aren’t affiliated with or endorsed by ABCA. 21+.