Short answer: Higher Ground is an ABCA-licensed medical cannabis retailer at 1135 Okie Street NE in Ivy City, Ward 5. Its license is ABCA-129388. It's Active and on ABCA's operational list, with Delivery, Education Tasting, Safe-Use and Summer Garden endorsements. Only four of DC's 66 operational retailers hold all four, and Higher Ground is the only one of them in Ward 5. It's one of the stops on DC's ABCA Safe-Use retailers, ward by ward.
What this means for you: if you're a registered patient east of North Capitol, this is one of the few licensed places with both an indoor consumption area and an approved private outdoor space.
License facts (check them yourself)
| Field | ABCA record (re-checked Oct. 13, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Trade name | Higher Ground |
| ABCA license # | ABCA-129388 |
| Entity | Bioleaf Holdings LLC |
| Address | 1135 Okie Street NE |
| Ward / ANC | Ward 5 / ANC 5D |
| Status | Active · on ABCA's operational list |
| Endorsements | Delivery, Education Tasting, Safe-Use, Summer Garden |
| Applicant type | Standard |
| Issued / expires | Oct 30, 2025 / Dec 31, 2026 |
Higher Ground has been licensed since October 2025. It's one of the newest Safe-Use holders, and it opened with the full set of endorsements. Look it up on ABCA's records yourself, or see Higher Ground's directory listing.
What the four endorsements add up to
- Safe-Use: a designated consumption area inside the store for registered patients and caregivers, using product bought there (ABCA; D.C. Code § 7-1671.06c). Full rules: Safe-Use endorsement rules.
- Summer Garden: ABCA's private outdoor-space endorsement tied to Safe-Use (ABCA). The store's site shows a lounge and a patio. A patio approved for consumption is not the sidewalk.
- Education Tasting: permitted education and tasting activity, which supports the store's ticketed events calendar.
- Delivery: licensed medical delivery.
The other three retailers with the same set are Firetuned in Dupont Circle, Yemaya's Lounge in Petworth and New Leaf Smoke Shop on H Street NE.
What makes it different: a waiver step
Higher Ground's website has a "Safe Use Waiver" page in its main navigation, a sign-off step before you use the consumption area. Putting it in the main menu tells you the store treats the lounge as a regulated space with its own intake, not as a walk-in hangout. Read the waiver and the house rules on the store's site before you go. Requirements are the store's to set and can change.
The store calls itself "patient-first" and runs a busy events calendar: yoga, comedy nights, paint nights and candle-making classes. Event access rules vary by event. Check each listing, and remember that consumption in a Safe-Use area is for registered patients and caregivers under ABCA rules.
Menu overview (no prices)
Higher Ground's menu covers flower, pre-rolls, vapes and cartridges, concentrates, edibles and tinctures. Featured products include DC-licensed producers such as Molecular Farms and Alternative Solutions. It also offers delivery under its ABCA endorsement. Here's how licensed delivery works in DC. We don't republish specials, potency or prices.
The neighborhood
Okie Street sits in Ivy City's former warehouse district, next to the Union Market and NoMa corridor. Ward 5 has 5 operational licensed retailers. 2 carry Safe-Use: Higher Ground and Lucid X Dreams on North Capitol Street. The next-nearest Safe-Use store, on H Street NE, is about a mile away in a straight line. Compare options on our licensed DC dispensaries page or the dispensary map.
Off the store's premises, DC's public-consumption ban applies (D.C. Code § 48-911.01).
How to use this page
- Not registered yet? Get registered as a patient. Most U.S. states' medical cards are also accepted under ABCA rules.
- Check that ABCA-129388 is still Active with Safe-Use and Summer Garden on ABCA's records.
- Read the store's Safe-Use waiver and confirm lounge and patio hours before you go.
Sources
- ABCA public license records and operational retailer list, ABCA-129388 (re-checked Oct. 13, 2026)
- Higher Ground public website, home, About and Events pages (linked once above; checked Oct. 7, 2026)
- ABCA, Safe-Use Treatment Facility Endorsement: https://abca.dc.gov/page/medical-cannabis-safe-use-treatment-facility-endorsement
- ABCA, Summer Garden Endorsement: https://abca.dc.gov/page/medical-cannabis-summer-garden-endorsement
- D.C. Code § 7-1671.06c: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/7-1671.06c
- D.C. Code § 48-911.01: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/48-911.01
Last updated: October 8, 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. Store spotlights are editorial, not paid placement. This is general information, not legal or medical advice. 21+.