D.C. Law 21-33. Medical Marijuana Cultivation Center Expansion Temporary Amendment Act of 2015.

AN ACT

To amend, on a temporary basis, the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999 to allow any applicant that received notification on July 25, 2014, that its medical marijuana cultivation center was eligible for registration to modify its application, to allow a holder of a cultivation center registration that owns or has a valid lease for the real property adjacent to its existing cultivation center to expand its facility into that adjacent real property for purposes of increasing production of marijuana plants, not to exceed the authorized limit, and to increase the number of living plants a cultivation center may possess at any time to 1000.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the "Medical Marijuana Cultivation Center Expansion Temporary Amendment Act of 2015".

Sec. 2. The Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1999, effective July 27, 2010 (D.C. Law 18-210; D.C. Official Code § 7-1671.01 et seq.), is amended as follows:

(a) Section 2 (D.C. Official Code § 7-1671.01) is amended by adding a new paragraph (1A) to read as follows:

"(1A) "Adjacent" means located within the same physical structure as, and is abutting, adjoining, bordering, touching, contiguous to, or otherwise physically meeting.".

(b) Section 7 (D.C. Official Code § 7-1671.06) is amended as follows:

(1) Subsection (d) is amended as follows:

(A) Paragraph (3) is amended by adding a new subparagraph (C) to read as follows:

"(C)(i) Notwithstanding 22 DCMR §§ C5003.2 and C5003.3, any applicant that received notification from the Department on July 25, 2014, that its cultivation center was eligible for registration shall be permitted to modify the location and premises identified on the application within 90 days after the effective date of the Medical Marijuana Cultivation Center Expansion Emergency Amendment Act of 2015, passed on emergency basis on June 30, 2015 (Enrolled version of Bill 21-255), without negatively affecting the current status of the application or registration.

"(ii) Any application that is modified pursuant to sub-subparagraph (i) of this subparagraph shall be exempt from 22 DCMR § C5303.6, adopted on an emergency basis by the Department on May 19, 2015 (62 DCR 8351).".

(B) New paragraphs (4) and (5) are added to read as follows:

"(4) The Mayor may approve the holder of a cultivation center registration that also owns, or has a valid lease for, real property adjacent to its existing cultivation center to physically expand the registered cultivation center into that adjacent real property for the purpose of increasing production of marijuana plants, not to exceed the limit permitted under this act.

"(5) For the purposes of this subsection, the non-transferability of ownership provisions set forth in 22 DCMR §§ C5003 and C5501 shall not be construed as prohibiting the restructuring of ownership or changes between officers, directors, or other persons owning or controlling a percentage of the registered cultivation center or the entity named in the cultivation center registration application that was pending as of March 2, 2015, to operate a cultivation center at the same adjacent real property if the application received a score of at least 150 points from the Program's review panel.".

(2) Subsection (e)(2) is amended by striking the number "500" and inserting the number "1000" in its place.

Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.

The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Chief Financial Officer as the fiscal impact statement required by section 602(c)(3) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(3)).

Sec. 4. Effective date.

(a) This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of Columbia Register.

(b) This act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect.