We are dispensary owners, budtenders, cannabis workers, and medical patients across Washington, DC — and we are united in opposition to Mayor Bowser's proposed cannabis sales tax increase in the FY2027 budget.

This proposal would raise the medical cannabis sales tax by more than 70% — from 6% to 10.25% — making our industry the only sector in the entire city facing a sales tax increase this budget cycle. No restaurants. No retailers. No other small businesses. Just us.

The DC Council's own Committee of the Whole said it best in its May 22 budget report: this increase could "incentivize District residents to turn to illicit sources," "stifle sales at a time when the District needs growth," and ultimately produce lower tax revenue as patients are priced out of the legal market. The Committee called removing the increase "a Council-wide priority" and raised "grave concerns" about what it would do to medical access across the District.

Those aren't abstract concerns. They are the reality our community lives every day.

For the patients among us, cannabis is medicine — used to manage chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD, and conditions that don't respond to conventional treatment. A 70% tax hike on the businesses that serve them is a 70% tax hike on their healthcare.

For workers, this industry represents real jobs, real livelihoods, and real community in neighborhoods across DC. When dispensaries close, those jobs don't just disappear — they leave gaps in communities that were already underserved.

For owners and operators, we are already navigating one of the most difficult business environments imaginable. Federal restrictions prevent us from taking standard tax deductions that every other business in America enjoys — meaning cannabis businesses already pay roughly 80% more in effective taxes than comparable businesses. We compete against Maryland's adult-use market, which doesn't require patients to enroll in any program. Our market is oversaturated and margins are thin. Many of us are already on the edge. This tax increase could be what pushes good businesses under.

We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking to not be singled out.

The DC Council will cast its first vote on the FY2027 budget on Tuesday, June 10. On Monday, June 9, our community will gather at the Wilson Building to make sure every Councilmember hears us before that vote.

We urge the DC Council to:

Remove the cannabis tax increase from the FY2027 budget
Protect medical patient access to affordable, legal cannabis
Defend the workers and small businesses that make up this community
Find equitable budget solutions that don't target one already-burdened industry
Sign this petition. Show up Monday. The cannabis community of DC deserves better than being treated as a budget patch.

📍 Rally: Monday, June 9 — John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW 🗳️ Council Vote: Tuesday, June 10 — FY2027 Budget, First Reading

This petition is supported by dispensary owners, cannabis workers, and medical patients across Washington, DC — including BluntSluts Cannabis Club, Adams Morgan.