--- title: Pot-Dispensing Rabbi: D.C. Residents Deserve Legal Access to Marijuana description: Congress is trying to stop D.C.’s legalization of marijuana. Back off, says the rabbi who owns the Takoma Wellness Center pot dispensary. canonical: https://time.com/3726560/pot-dispensing-rabbi-d-c-residents-deserve-legal-access-to-marijuana/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-27T20:13:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:53.515Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Pot-Dispensing Rabbi: D.C. Residents Deserve Legal Access to Marijuana og:description: Congress is trying to stop D.C.’s legalization of marijuana. Back off, says the rabbi who owns the Takoma Wellness Center pot dispensary. og:url: https://time.com/3726560/pot-dispensing-rabbi-d-c-residents-deserve-legal-access-to-marijuana/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb6b2a4e8d08b69b/69878175cd68484dea099ed1/jeffery-kahn-takoma-wellness-center.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn, owner of the Takoma Wellness Center, dispenses medical marijuana on Oct. 10, 2014, in Takoma Park, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pot-Dispensing Rabbi: D.C. Residents Deserve Legal Access to Marijuana twitter:description: Congress is trying to stop D.C.’s legalization of marijuana. Back off, says the rabbi who owns the Takoma Wellness Center pot dispensary. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb6b2a4e8d08b69b/69878175cd68484dea099ed1/jeffery-kahn-takoma-wellness-center.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pot-Dispensing Rabbi: D.C. Residents Deserve Legal Access to Marijuana > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=42c4cb7a-966c-46bc-9c0c-b4313da7b5ac&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Inside A Christian Pot Shop [Watch (HLS stream): Inside A Christian Pot Shop](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vz4fpqkC.m3u8) (5:22)  _Published 2014-04-03. Bryan and Lanette Davies run a Christian medical marijuana dispensary in Sacramento. After God told Bryan to open a cannabis shop, the couple say they have been doing God's work in providing natural care to the sick._ by [Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn](https://time.com/author/rabbi-jeffrey-kahn/) ## Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn Feb 27, 2015 8:13 PM UTC  Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn, owner of the Takoma Wellness Center, dispenses medical marijuana on Oct. 10, 2014, in Takoma Park, DC. Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn, owner of the Takoma Wellness Center, dispenses medical marijuana on Oct. 10, 2014, in Takoma Park, DC. Evelyn Hockstein—The Washington Post/Getty Images by [Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn](https://time.com/author/rabbi-jeffrey-kahn/) ## Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn Feb 27, 2015 8:13 PM UTC Earlier this week, adult possession and use of marijuana became legal in the District of Columbia. There were no parties in the street or any kind of public consumption of marijuana. No one was hurt or [arrested](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/first-day-of-legal-marijuana-in-district-goes-off-quietly/2015/02/26/af00b902-bdc8-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9%5Fstory.html). No one got sick or died (at least not from marijuana consumption). The sky did not fall. One might not have noticed at all, had not members of Congress from far-off jurisdictions [threatened](http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2015/02/26/why-anti-pot-congressmen-could-not-stop-marijuana-legalization-in-the-nations-capital/) to jail our mayor and council and bully the residents of the nation’s capital into submission to their will. Congress is doing its best to prevent D.C. from legalizing marijuana. As Yogi Berra might have said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” In 1998, the citizens of the District [voted overwhelmingly](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-voters-to-decide-on-marijuana-use-in-november/2014/08/06/11e15576-1d7a-11e4-ae54-0cfe1f974f8a%5Fstory.html) to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. When Congress attempted and failed to halt that election, it blocked the counting of ballots. Once a judge ruled that the vote could be certified, Congress deployed the same tactics on display today to keep medical marijuana out of the hands of patients for 15 years. Finally, in 2013, D.C.’s medical-marijuana dispensaries opened. My family and I own and operate one of them, [Takoma Wellness Center](http://takomawellness.com). D.C.’s medical-marijuana law was blocked for 15 years. During that time, while Congress played politics with the lives of the citizens of the District of Columbia, tens of thousands of people suffered. Over that decade and a half, many of those people died. For nearly 30 years, I served as a congregational rabbi. My rabbinate began in June 1981, on the same day the first case of AIDS was reported in the press. The beginning of my career coincided with the beginning of AIDS taking its heavy toll on humanity. As a very liberal rabbi in a very conservative town, where stigma and acceptance became large HIV/AIDS issues, I found myself one of the few local clergy to work in support of people living with HIV and AIDS. I spoke at many meetings, visited many in the hospital, officiated at many funerals. There were years when hardly a day went by without AIDS issues on the agenda. Those years were before the first pharmaceutical drug was introduced to help manage the symptoms of AIDS. During those days, marijuana provided the best-known relief. Marijuana stimulated the appetites of those who could not eat. Marijuana soothed the pain of those who suffered. Marijuana brought sleep to those who could not slumber. Marijuana eased the minds of those who faced stigma and death. I know. I saw it with my own eyes. My family and I had a very close and personal experience with marijuana as medicine. My late father-in-law Jules Reifkind had multiple sclerosis for more than 50 years. Of the many, many treatments he tried to help live with that condition, the one that really helped was marijuana. ### 7 Dizzying GIFs of Spinning Cannabis Strains  Hawgs Breath Type: Indica Lineage: Hindu Kush x Afghani Smell/Taste: Fruity, Earthy, Citrus Effect: Euphoric, Relaxed, Uplifted, Sleepiness, Pain Relief, Stress/Anxiety Relief Nugshots  Ed Rosenthal Super Bud Type:Hybrid Lineage: Afghani Indica x Hindu Kush x Mexican Sativa x Thai Sativa x African Hybrid Smell/Taste: Mint, Earthy, Citrus, Effect: Uplifted, Relaxing, Active, Pain/Stress Relief Nugshots  Grape Ape Type: Indica Hybrid Lineage: Afghani x Skunk #1 Smell/Taste: Sweet, Grape, Berry, Effect: Relaxing, Pain Relief, Sleepiness Nugshots  Bubba Kush Type: Indica Lindage: Bubble Gum x OG Kush Smell/Taste: Sweet, Earthy, Citrus, Perfume Effect: Calming, Body Relaxation Nugshots  Black Poison No known reliable data. Nugshots  Platinum Bubba Kush Type: Indica Lineage: Platinum OG Kush x Bubba Kush Smell/Taste: Floral, Sweet, Fruity, Earthy Effect: Body Relaxation, Pain Relief, Appetite Stimulation, Sleepiness Nugshots  Mango Haze Type: Hybrid Lineage: Northern Lights #5 x Skunk #1 x Haze Smell/Taste: Mango, Pine, Citrus, Tropical, Mint Effect: Uplifting, Cerebral, Euphoric Nugshots  Platinum OG Kush Type: Indica Hybrid Lineage: Master Kush x OG Kush Smell/Taste: Earthy, Sweet, Pungent, Pine Effect: Sedation, Calming, Anxiety Relief, Appetite Stimulation Nugshots  Hindu Kush Type: Indica Lineage: Unknown Smell/Taste: Earthy, Sweet, Piney, Effect: Relaxing, Pain Relief, Body Sensation, Sleepiness Nugshots One physician had suggested my father-in-law try it in the 1970s. He was dubious. It was illegal, after all, and he was a pretty conservative guy. But eventually he did … and the spasms noticeably eased. At the time I didn’t know that there was real medical science behind the reason marijuana helped, but I had seen the difference before and after. I know. I saw it with my own eyes. AIDS is no longer the out-of-control epidemic it once was. And, like with AIDS, pharmaceuticals have made MS far more manageable over the decades. But just like AIDS at its worst, there are many, many conditions, diseases, symptoms and injuries that are best addressed by marijuana. Our patients are small children with seizure disorders that prescription drugs don’t help. They are victims of violence and terror, combat vets and so many others living with postcombat stress. They are people living with the chronic pain that is the result of injuries, including gunshot-wound victims and automobile-accident survivors. They are folks dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy and prescribed medications, people living with neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia—the list is almost endless. We see a lot of people who find marijuana far more effective and far less dangerous than the pharmaceutical medicines they have been prescribed. No wonder overdose deaths are significantly lower in medical-marijuana states. For those in chronic pain, marijuana is usually more effective and always safer than opioids. Our medical-marijuana dispensary serves more than 100 people a day who, before they discovered marijuana, were suffering, helpless and hopeless. And now they are not. They have found relief. They have hope. Medical marijuana has made a difference in their lives. Congress has a very big agenda with a lot of important things to do. Congressmen Jason Chaffetz, Mark Meadows and Andy Harris have constituents in Utah, North Carolina and Maryland who deserve their full attention. The tactics we’ve seen employed this week are sadly reminiscent of those used to delay the legalization of medical marijuana. The time to delay has passed. We’ve legalized marijuana in the District of Columbia. The sky didn’t fall. I know—I saw it with my own eyes. ## Transcript Good morning, Sacramento. This is Bryan Davies and Lanette Davies. [ INAUDIBLE ] I normally just pray, thank you lord, thank you lord, thank you lord. Thank you lord, for this chance. Thank you, lord, for everything. Thank you lord that it's a blessing that Lanette is. I have a fear of praying and asking for something. Since you're praying against his will, you're praying for evil. Well at this point in time I start praying, please help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Tell me what to do. I need to get back in the business. I need to do something to be able to earn money. He said, open up a pot shop. And the Lord said, who are you not to do my will? [ MUSIC ] This has absolutely has been a ministry that has been ordained by God. So it is a christian dispensary, however, it is run by christians. Not all my employees are necessarily christian. It is not something that I require from them. Many people will stop because they are offended not by the marijuana but by the christianity. And it's a strangest thing. I was pissed that they open it up. It was not only embarrassing to me, it was this is, this is wrong, what are you doing? LIke I don't wanna be a part of it. When God told me to open up a cannabis shop, I go on the internet. [ SOUND ] They told us to target men between the ages of 20 and 30 years old because they'll spend the most on cannabis. We had a competitor, who used to have Bikini Wednesday. [ LAUGH ] Instead, I have a huge amount of elderly that are coming by and, you know, they've been taking handfuls, poundfuls of pharmaceuticals and getting sicker off of the pharmaceuticals! And they come over and say, do you have anything on this disease, or this disease. Or, are there any studies on this, and how do I get a cannabis recommendation? This has been, the whole time, has been an education process, so that people could take a look at a patient, and not see a stoner. Oh, you work there, that means that you get high all the time. It's like actually, no, we don't. We have people that come in here and they have cancer, and some of the people die. A lot of 'em were Christians and believers who were pissed at God. Yeah. So that's my whole Sunday Prayer started here. In the name of my lord, Jesus Christ, if any evil is in this room, may the lord rebuke it. I'm always watching the clock like, is it six o'clock yet? Cuz I'm eager to pray. And we pray for everyone. Even patients join in on our prayer. We wanna thank you for Lanette, Teva, Joe, Jeff, Ronnie [ CROSSTALK ] We've actually had employees that didn't want to participate for whatever reason [ UNKNOWN ], and it's okay. We're not here to judge you, one way or another. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. I've been coming here for four years, and I'm a very satisfied customer. [ INAUDIBLE ] You know what I'm saying, you cannot judge people for sinning differently than you. Amen. Amen. Thank you. [ CROSSTALK ] And that one lady, and what she said was, God's God and you know what, I've got cancer and I need all the prayers I can get. [ MUSIC ]. I think our court case is something that God has provided for us as an opportunity. We did keep completely clean records. Everything was absolutely done correctly, to the point that we did pass that audit with flying colors. Cana Care owes the IRS more than $ 800, 000 in income taxes. At issue is this 1982 law, that bans the deduction of expenses for trafficking and controlled substances. They allow you to take the cannabis as your deduction, but they disallow you all the legal expenses. So the IRS came back and said give us 194, 000 and they will drop everything, and I said no, I wanna go to court. But then they make this deal with you, if you give us a couple extra percent of gross sales, this all goes behind you. [ MUSIC ]. So is it illegal federally or is not illegal federally? Because you'll allow us to stay in business if we give you more money. [ MUSIC ] Crusaders For Patients Rights is my organization. It's kinda my, basis of what I do. Remove federal barriers for medical and scientific cannabis research, and create [ CROSSTALK ]. We have no problems putting together a protest. And we actually have done protests at the federal court building and we've done candlelight vigils. But even now, churches have even come on board. There are several of them that have actually said, you know, we don't have a problem with medicinal cannabis. They have none. As a matter of fact, they wanna have those options open. I use cannabis at night. I usually use a pipe, a small amount, and it usually is, you know, a couple of tokes and I go to bed. He has a pretty gnarly disease. He have [ UNKNOWN ]. I had never seen him sleep through a night until Cannabis. Until he used Cannabis. I had never seen him sleep through a night. And we were married 25 years. I go straight back to, you know, God created this as a man made herb. It is a medicine. And it works as a medicine. And when it comes down to it, God's commandment to us is to take care of the sick and ill. Let me ask you this, did God create pot? I know he did. [ CROSSTALK ] Created everything. And you know what I know about God? He is still working with you. I would not do, it if I didn't endorse what we were doing here. If I thought for one minute, that this was not the way that he wanted us to go. I would not be here. I'm always worried about being a negative reflection on christianity, because it's not what we wanna do, but at the same point, I would be negatively not following God's commandments. If I didn't take this stance and work it. And of course you know, weed was grown in the Garden of Eden, so you know, there's nothing but God around here. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3726560/pot-dispensing-rabbi-d-c-residents-deserve-legal-access-to-marijuana/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3726560/pot-dispensing-rabbi-d-c-residents-deserve-legal-access-to-marijuana/"},"headline":"Pot-Dispensing Rabbi: D.C. 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