D.C. Getting Its First Marijuana Store

The “Walmart of Weed” is coming to Washington. WeGrow, a national franchise, is set to open its first store in the D.C. area this March, according to its local franchisee, Alex Wong. Wong said he has leased space at 1522 Rhode Island Ave., NW, and will offer a full array of products to medical marijuana cultivators and indoor gardeners.

But isn’t it illegal to sell and grow marijuana? Yes, according to the Controlled Substances Act, it is. But a new D.C. law allows doctors to write medical marijuana prescriptions for patients who suffer from conditions such as multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and other serious conditions.

The law provides that up to 10 sites will be authorized to grow the plant and allows five distribution centers where people can obtain medical marijuana with a D.C. doctor’s prescription. The lists for cultivation centers and dispensaries are due to be released in March with the full program under way by late spring.

WeGrow stores call themselves hydroponics superstores. They sell all of the products needed to grow marijuana and other indoor plants but they don’t sell the weed itself.

In a news release, WeGrow said Wong is “an entrepreneurial financial professional with an MBA and 13 years in the banking/corporate arenas and 9 years of business ownership [who] … wants to bring a new social perspective to the area by having honest hydro stores in the Mid Atlantic region.”