The bill, which takes near-immediate effect, would treat cannabis businesses similarly to liquor-licensed businesses.

It’s been 14 years since D.C. residents voted to legalize medical marijuana, and by early next years qualifying patients will finally be able to get their hands on it.

Three of the four Advisory Neighborhood Commissions charged with commenting on proposed medical marijuana dispensaries gave their approval to the sites over the last two weeks, moving the city’s nascent program away from the pitched battles that took place over where cultivation centers should be located.

Two of the four medical marijuana dispensaries that have been pre-approved by D.C. were given the green light by ANCs this week without much of the usual controversy or fanfare that has come along with the city’s nascent medical marijuana program.

With six medical marijuana cultivation center licenses having been granted in late March, this week a six-person city panel gave initial approval to four potential dispensaries.

California-based hydroponics store weGrow opens its first east coast location in D.C. today, but residents shouldn’t expect the “Walmart of Weed” that the store has billed itself as in the past.

After last week’s D.C. Council vote on limits to the number of medical marijuana cultivation centers in any one ward, hopeful applicants have been left in the dark as to how the Department of Health will proceed with locating both cultivation centers and dispensaries.

The District’s medical marijuana program is set for another delay.

While the majority of the District’s likely medical marijuana cultivation centers are clustered in Ward 5, the 17 applicants for licenses to run the five dispensaries that will provide marijuana to qualifying patients are spread all over town — so much so that only Ward 7 missed out on a location.

17 hopeful medical marijuana dispensers submitted applications for licenses to the D.C. Department of Health this week.