WASHINGTON (7News) — An emergency bill that aims to target illegal cannabis businesses in Washington, D.C. was introduced by D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on Friday.

The bill was introduced by Mendelson at the request of Mayor Muriel Bowser, as several cannabis stores in the District were found to be operating illegally.

Over the past six months, law enforcement officials closed 25 unlicensed cannabis retailers in the District, according to the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

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“For too long, unlicensed cannabis stores have been illegally selling unregulated, untested products that put District residents’ safety at risk,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “All so-called ‘gifting shops’ were given ample time to apply for legal medical marijuana licenses, but many failed or refused to do so.”

Officials said that in some cases, officers executed search warrants and recovered weapons, cash, cocaine and other illegal drugs. After being forced to close, the owners of one of the businesses operating illegally broke into the shuttered location twice and changed the locks before being permanently shut down, according to the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

In September 2024, Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) officials along with Metropolitan Police Department officers served a closure order to the owner of Green Cloud Shop in Northwest, D.C. Officials said the business was selling cannabis products without a license despite a written warning and Cease and Desist order.

Officials closed the store and padlocked the door, due to the business posing, a danger to public health and safety, according to ABCA. During the closure, MPD officers saw illegal products in plain sight inside the store.

Officials said the store owner, Abdelhak Hamsasse, 49, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and operating a business after a license was revoked.

In a letter to the D.C. Council, Mayor Muriel Bowser urged leaders to take favorable action on the bill, stating, ” These emergency measures would therefore expand ABCA’s authority to take summary action and padlock businesses engaged in illegal commerce in cannabis.”