Canna Art medical cannabis dispensary license faces ANC opposition | Forest Hills Connection

by Marlene Berlin

ANC 3F is formally protesting Canna Art’s application to be licensed as a medical marijuana dispensary.

At their May 20th meeting, the four commissioners present voted unanimously to oppose the license application. Their resolution cited several reasons, including Canna Art’s location at 5008 Connecticut Avenue near busy walking routes to school, and a warning letter stating that an Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration senior investigator had observed on August 6th, 2024 “unlicensed and illegal cannabis operations.”

3F Chair Courtney Carlson, whose single-member district includes Canna Art said other businesses on the block would be protesting as well.

Yared Betsate, attending the meeting with co-owner Sajmir Rragami, countered that this infraction was dropped by ABCA and should not be considered by the ANC. He also said that he had received permission to operate a cannabis gifting shop under Initiative 71, a ballot measure approved by DC voters in 2014.

However, the business was seeking to open during a crackdown on gifting operations, which operated in a legal gray area. Betsate told Forest Hills Connection in March 2024, when it received its certificate of occupancy to operate as an art gallery, that Canna Art would be applying for a dispensary license. In May 2024, it opened briefly as a cannabis gifting shop. Within weeks, the storefront was closed again, but boxes checked on the ABCA warning letter regarding August 6th, 2024 included “Illegally selling cannabis or offering to sell or distribute cannabis without a valid license;” and “Engaging in the sale or distribution of cannabis at a location not authorized by a valid license.”

At the ANC 3F meeting, given the lack of agreement about what the law and ABCA require, the commissioners and the Canna Art owners agreed to meet with the ABCA general counsel to get more clarity.

Commissioner Sue Guzman also invited Betsate to educate the ANC with letters of support from neighboring businesses. He said he was gratified by that suggestion since he had felt welcomed by the businesses that he had approached.

The four commissioners then voted on the resolution opposing the Canna Art dispensary application. Two commissioners were absent.

Their deadline to file their protest with ABCA was May 27th. The ABCA board is scheduled to take up the matter at its roll call hearing at 10 a.m. Monday, June 16th. ANC 3F’s next meeting is Tuesday, June 17th, and its agenda includes an update on the hearing.

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