D.C. officials thought the medical marijuana program would be up and running in the District by now, but the News4 I-Team has learned no plants have even started growing yet.
Earlier this year, applicants got the go-ahead to register for licenses to either grow or sell medical marijuana at 10 sites. All six of the cultivation centers are located in Northeast, mainly in Ward 5. Most of the dispensaries are in Northwest, with one in Southeast.
But the program is taking longer than initially thought to get going.
As of now, none of the applicants has received their Certificate of Occupancy, which they need before they can receive their business license to start operating.
The city tells the News4 I-Team it's waiting for all construction to be completed at the sites so final inspections can be done.
Once the applicants get their business licenses, the Department of Health will give final clearance for them to start.
It takes about 90 days for the plants to grow. So we're looking at a few more months, if not longer, before anyone can buy medical marijuana in D.C.
