Congress holds Washington, D.C., in a firm grip. The city’s chief financial officer, Glen Lee, projects a $1 billion revenue loss over the next three years, a crisis driven by federal layoffs and economic stagnation—challenges intensified by federal oversight.
Yet a potential solution lies within reach: a robust cannabis market, constrained by the Harris Rider since 2014. This congressional measure bars D.C. from taxing recreational sales, limiting it to $2.3 million in medical cannabis sales taxes in fiscal year 2023, according to the city’s Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration. Meanwhile, Maryland generated $63 million from its first recreational year, according to the state’s comptroller.
It is time for lawmakers to repeal the rider, unlock D.C.’s market, and enable the district to chart its financial course.
The Harris Rider, named for U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., remains a decade-long obstacle to self-determination. After 65% of D.C. voters endorsed legalization via Initiative 71 in 2014, Congress imposed this budget amendment in 2015, prohibiting the district from taxing and regulating recreational cannabis sales.
By contrast, Maryland’s market now exceeds $1.1 billion in annual sales, bolstered by recreational revenue that D.C. cannot tap. Two entities—Harris and an acquiescent Congress—uphold this restriction, sustaining a gray market of “gifting” loopholes while Maryland’s tax haul highlights D.C.’s untapped potential. With 70% of Americans favoring legalization, according to a 2023 Gallup poll, and D.C.’s patient rolls rising 21% in two years, public support is clear. Why, then, does Congress persist in thwarting it?
Federal overreach not only curbs autonomy but also jeopardizes D.C.’s fiscal stability. Maryland’s $63 million in first-year recreational taxes—drawn from $700 million in recreational sales—demonstrates what’s achievable. D.C.’s $2.3 million from a limited medical program pales against a $1 billion revenue shortfall, worsened by federal job cuts and a slowing economy.
Moreover, marketing restrictions—bans on billboards and e-commerce—stifle operators, even as alcohol promotions flourish unchecked. This contradiction undermines free-market principles. Congress could bolster D.C.’s economic capacity by lifting the rider, yet it clings to a policy that defies fiscal logic.
Imagine D.C. unencumbered. A cannabis czar could shape policy, aligning regulators with residents sidelined by federal interference. A district-run cannabis campus, equipped with turnkey facilities and academic partnerships, could enhance supply and create sustainable jobs, countering the rider’s limits. Tax revenue from a recreational market could help fund the $400 million affordable housing initiative championed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, alongside support for communities—disproportionately Black and poor—scarred by decades of drug-war policies once backed by Congress.
Maryland’s $1.1 billion in sales and over $100 million in taxes by mid-2025 affirm the feasibility; D.C. could match this with freedom. This is about fiscal resilience and equity, obstructed by two Capitol Hill decision-makers.
D.C.’s economic plight reflects a federal failure. The mayor’s office has yet to fully press this case as the rider faces scrutiny—perhaps wary of congressional pushback—but the primary accountability rests on the Hill. Harris and his allies constrain a city they should not govern, denying resources to address a budget strained by their workforce reductions. Housing goals weaken, equity stalls, and a $1 billion shortfall looms—all while Bowser’s vision, including a 175-acre RFK redevelopment and the Commanders’ potential return, demands public investment.
Maryland’s cannabis revenue thrives just next door, yet Congress could act in FY 2026 negotiations now underway. A decade of inaction suggests inertia—unless pressure builds.
D.C.’s future hinges on a fully realized cannabis industry, not a stunted gray market. A recreational market freed from federal barriers could mend fiscal wounds and elevate underserved populations, bolstered by 20 million annual visitors—a tourism base at risk as federal policies shift under a new administration.
The rider deprives D.C. of revenue Maryland proves attainable, undermining free-market values and local governance. Lawmakers face a choice: sustain Harris’ outdated restriction and watch D.C. falter, or repeal it and fuel growth—housing secured, equity advanced, and transformative projects like RFK realized. Delay squanders the moment, with $1 billion and D.C.’s vitality at stake. It is time to repeal the rider, unleash D.C.’s market, and let revenue—and autonomy—flourish.
Terrence White, Founder/CEO of Monko, is a cannabis and policy visionary. Founding Monko, a luxury cannabis experience in Washington, D.C., he blends excellence with social justice. A returned citizen, he advocates for equity and redefines cannabis in the capital.
As Washington faces fiscal constraints, unlocking the district’s adult-use cannabis program from the federal rider would bolster revenue. Read More
