Capitol Hill Coffeeshop Clears the Air After Cannabis Controversy

• February 22nd 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

When Loaf Coffee opened its doors on a quiet Capitol Hill corner a few weeks ago, neighbors were surprised and concerned to find that the coffeeshop's marketing materials contained references to marijuana, prompting concerns that the store might be selling something other than coffee. On Wednesday, the owners made it clear that marijuana is not in their business model.

"We don't want to have anything to do with the marijuana industry," co-owner Chris Pitorri stated at a meeting of the ANC 6A Economic Development and Zoning Committee on Wednesday night. Pitorri explained that the store's tagline "Let us take you higher" is "a satirical reference to caffeine being most people's drug of choice."

Businesses in the District adding cannabis or related products to their offerings is not implausible in the years since Initiative 71 legalized recreational marijuana and no framework for legalization has yet been implemented. The gray area has come under more scrutiny in recent months as the police have raided events where cannabis is gifted with the purchase of other products.

Mia's Coffeehouse, the former occupants of Loaf Coffee's current space, were known to flout the rules, operating at various times without proper licenses before closing last year.

This also isn't the first time Capitol Hill residents fought against a cannabis company (perceived or otherwise) operating in their neighborhood. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/capitol_hill_coffeeshop_clears_the_air_after_cannabis_controversy/13597.