Washington, DC officials will begin inspections of “gift shops” next month.

Regulators in the country’s capital announced last week that they will begin inspections of unlicensed cannabis companies to check compliance with various laws.

The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration said that a “Joint Cannabis Task Force” composed of “various [Washington, D.C.] Government agencies” will begin visiting the companies next month after a 30-day grace period.

Although DC voters passed an initiative legalizing recreational cannabis back in 2014, selling weed is still technically illegal due to a ban in Congress.

Businesses there have found a loophole through the practice of “gifting”: a customer pays for an item such as a t-shirt in exchange for some cannabis being “free”.

The practice has angered many of Washington, DC’s medical cannabis operators, who have said the illegal operations are affecting their business.

In April, the DC City Council rejected a proposal backed by the medical marijuana industry that would have imposed tougher fines on gift-giving businesses.

The inspections, announced by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, will be conducted to ensure that the unlicensed cannabis businesses “comply with the regulatory requirements of DC Health, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Division ( FEMS) and the Office of Taxes and Revenue (OTR).”

The administration has detailed these laws:

• “DC Health – Edibles and other manufactured products offered to customers by businesses must be approved by DC Health; Businesses must also comply with DC food safety and sanitation laws.”
• “DCRA—Companies operating in the district must be registered with DCRA; Businesses must also meet the district’s general business requirements, such as: B. Having the correct business license and business license in place.”
• “FEMS companies must comply with DC fire safety regulations such as: B. clear exit for customers and properly working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.”
• “OTR – Businesses must register with OTR and pay taxes in DC.”

“After the 30-day grace period has expired, unannounced joint official inspections will take place to check the company’s compliance with the legal requirements. Businesses that do not comply may be subject to a fine or other enforcement action permitted by the statutory authority of the relevant law enforcement agency,” the administration said in the announcement last week.

According to The DCist, “Many of the gift companies say they already comply with DC’s business regulations and pay taxes on the products they sell.”

Lonny Bramzon, an attorney and owner of one of DC’s gift shops, told the site that he doesn’t see the administration’s announcement as “necessarily targeting marijuana,” although he believes it could be an easy way for DC to shut down operators , who did not follow city regulations.”

“It seems that ABRA doesn’t care about the instrumentality of gift giving. Apparently they’re after business licenses and occupancy certificates,” Bramzon said. “When someone opens a café, they get their licenses and do the inspections. But due to the nature of the [marijuana] Businesses are more likely to be opened by people without the proper licenses. This could be a sneaky way to shut down some of these stores. I want to make sure everyone has their licenses and pays their taxes like everyone else.”

Earlier this year, the DC City Council passed a measure allowing medical cannabis patients in the district to “self-certify,” meaning they no longer need a doctor’s recommendation for identification.

The law, signed into law by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser last month, was hailed as an improvement for both patients and medical cannabis providers, which gift shops have outsold in sales.