Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Washington, D.C.’s ‘cannapeneurs’

Sabri Ben-Achour Jun 3, 2016
HTML EMBED:
COPY
A vendor of hydroponic growing equipment carries a marijuana plant to his vending stall during the first annual National Cannabis Festival on April 23 in Washington, D.C.  Win McNamee/Getty Images

Washington, D.C.’s ‘cannapeneurs’

Sabri Ben-Achour Jun 3, 2016
A vendor of hydroponic growing equipment carries a marijuana plant to his vending stall during the first annual National Cannabis Festival on April 23 in Washington, D.C.  Win McNamee/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Washington, D.C. — the real Washington, D.C., where people live, work, go to school — is in a difficult place legally.

Residents pay taxes but don’t get votes in Congress. Congress, on the other hand, has significant control over local D.C. politics. So when District residents decriminalized/legalized marijuana last year in a referendum, Congress prevented the city council from  regulating it. As a result, the nation’s capital is in an awkward limbo where it’s legal to possess marijuana, but not to sell it. Even so, businesses are popping up with some creative business models to deal with the situation.

Marketplace’s Sabri Ben-Achour spoke with Bo Kenney of Wash Hydro about his business and others trying to get into Washington, D.C.’s emerging “cannabiz” sector. Click the above audio player to hear the full interview.

For a longer discussion of marijuana regulation and history, check out this episode of Actuality, the Marketplace-Quartz podcast. 

 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.