“Warren’s purchase came 15 years after nearly 70 percent of residents of the nation’s capital passed a ballot measure allowing the drug for prescription medical use. Congress repeatedly blocked implementation until 2009, and the city council moved forward with a unanimous vote to allow doctors to prescribe pot for certain chronically ill patients. Now, the city has licensed three dispensaries to sell pot and six cultivation centers to grow the plants. Capital City Care executives said they hoped D.C.’s strict regulations, allowing only patients with HIV, AIDS, glaucoma, severe muscle spasms and cancer to receive medical marijuana, will spare them from federal prosecution.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/washington-dc-medical-marijuana-dispensary_n_3676943.html