A medical marijuana dispensary, Capital City Care, held a grand opening on U Street NW on Feb. 3, its new location offering patients easier access.
On hand to welcome the new business were Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Council member Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) — along with Capital City Care’s store manager Yuri Lee and Mid-Atlantic Market Director George DeNardo.
Norton noted that “Capital City Care is a medical marijuana provider licensed to dispense to qualified patients in the District and provides an invaluable service for the residents who have found that medical marijuana provides them the most relief for their needs.” She continued: “It is beyond unreasonable that congressional interference keeps only the District of Columbia from commercializing recreational marijuana while all other jurisdictions are free to do so. I am deeply grateful to Capital City Care for providing residents with the care they need in a central location in the District.”
“The drug often can’t be purchased with a credit card, and insurance companies don’t cover the cost,” pointed out Mark Seagraves of NBC4 News. “A total of 33 states have legalized marijuana for either recreational or medical uses, but other laws need to be passed in order to improve consumers’ access.”
“It’s not the least expensive thing to purchase, so I have to carry cash. My last purchase was $95,” former Council member and medical marijuana user Yvette Alexander told NBC4. “It’s inconvenient. I would like to see the day when we can charge this like everything else, like your pharmaceutical drugs.” “It’s the banking laws, from a federal level,” explained DeNardo. “So, the banks are federally insured, and since this is against federal regulations most credit cards will not accept medical cannabis as a valid transaction.”