WASHINGTON — The days of code words and ambiguity are over at Capitol Hemp.
The popular shop in Adams Morgan reopened Monday in light of D.C. voters’ approval of Initiative 71 last fall. Initiative 71 not only legalized marijuana for personal use at home but also allowed for the sale of marijuana-related products.
“This is a store where you can say ‘bong’ and not be thrown out anymore,” says Adam Eidinger, a co-owner. “In our old store, if you told us you were going to use a pipe for marijuana, we had to cancel the sale.”
Now store employees openly answer questions and offer advice on matters from home growing to bong techniques.
“This shouldn’t be treated like an unusual business, it should be treated like a normal business,” Eidinger says. “It’s within the letter of the law.”
Previous hemp stores closed following a run-in with the law.
“We didn’t just walk away from the city that raided us,” Eidinger says, referring to a 2012 police raid in which officers seized drug paraphernalia from two stores.
Six employees also were arrested.
With that in the past, the latest iteration opened Monday.
Capitol Hemp sells far more than smoking devices. It offers hemp clothes, food products and art. On the high end, the shop has a $1,850 pipe. It also sells 24-carat gold rolling papers.
The newly opened store is located at 1770 Columbia Rd. NW.
