Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has introduced the Medical Cannabis Beverage Product Amendment Act of 2026, which would allow medical marijuana companies and local breweries and distilleries to jointly produce cannabis-infused, alcohol-free drinks for sale in the district.
Under the proposal, alcohol companies could obtain a medical cannabis production endorsement for $500 per year to manufacture cannabis beverages, while medical marijuana companies could apply for a $1,000 annual endorsement to import cannabinoids for production. All beverages must be tested by a locally licensed laboratory and would carry a 6 percent sales tax.
Breweries and distilleries could not sell cannabis beverages directly to consumers; finished products would transfer to partnering medical marijuana manufacturers for testing and distribution. Sales would be restricted to registered medical cannabis patients through dispensaries and prohibited at bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and grocery stores.
“This is an opportunity to support two local industries and to keep business in D.C.,” Bowser said. “We have fantastic local brewers and distillers in our city, we have a robust medical cannabis market, and this is a new opportunity for those two markets to collaborate and create a safe and smoke-free alternative for patients in D.C.”
Fred Moosally, Director of the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, said the legislation would address manufacturing challenges for the medical cannabis industry while creating an additional revenue stream for local craft beverage producers, and that using existing local bottling infrastructure would expand smoke-free therapeutic options for medical cannabis patients.
The bill is now before the Council of the District of Columbia. Congress has annually blocked D.C. from legalizing recreational marijuana sales through a budget rider, but local officials have worked to expand access through the medical cannabis market, including by allowing residents and visiting tourists to self-certify for medical cannabis without a doctor’s recommendation.
