Takoma Wellness Center

Hello DC! Today we’re headed to the top of the map to visit Takoma Wellness Center! Speaking of which, did I ever tell you about the time I took the Red Line to Silver Spring instead of Bethesda, and to my later embarrassment (and perhaps under the influence of an edible or two) ended up working a shift at a used record store instead of my usual shift as a line cook? The weird thing is that the record store would have kept me on as a part-time employee, but for SOmE rEasON I felt compelled to ask for compensation in N64 cartridges, or fractions of said cartridges accounting for their current market value. Not a bad scheme, but the good folks at the record store told me to “bump bricks” (Super Mario Bros.), “chuck barrels” (Donkey Kong Country), and reminded me that my mother is my sister (Grand Theft Auto 3). No love in the world of used video games. They paid me above a fair day’s wage and instead of the desired N64 cartridges, generously gave me a copy of Sierra Entertainment’s Police Quest SWAT 4: Mohave Hot Air Balloon Siege for Windows 95. Really a win-win, to be honest. 

About Takoma Wellness Center

DC’s medical marijuana scene has slowly but surely become one that patients can be quite proud of. But it wasn’t always that way, and if you want to talk to someone about the earliest days of medical marijuana legalization here — some might even call them the “dark days”— a great place to start is with the knowledgeable folks at Takoma Wellness.

Takoma Wellness Center is the 4th Ward’s exclusive dispensary, a medical cannabis pioneer in the District and one of the Toker's favorites. Since the days of early medical marijuana legalization in Washington DC, they’ve managed to put together one of the best dispensaries with one of the most complete menus you’ll find anywhere in town. I must confess that on more than one occasion, I’ve walked out of one of the TWO medical dispensaries in my ward to hop on the Red Line and head straight to Takoma Wellness Center for that one item I just couldn’t do without, which could only be found on the menu at Takoma.

Founders Stephanie and Rabbi Jeffrey Khan have been absolute lions on the side of the local medical marijuana industry and registered patients since the very beginning, and they continue to be at the forefront of pressing cannabis issues and changes to legislation around town. Their dedication to the DMV and its patients shows at every level of one’s experience at Takoma Wellness Center. 

Shopping at Takoma Wellness Center

Of all the medical dispensaries in DC, Takoma Wellness feels the most like a genuine care center, tailored towards the patients in a way that emphasizes the medicine in medicinal cannabis, without having the unpleasant qualities of a dentist’s office. Here, you just know that you’ll be taken care of.

A 2015 Washington Post piece from the early days of the dispensary described Takoma’s interior aesthetic as “a blend of spa lobby and head shop.” That’s a close description, though “head shop” either detracts from or misses completely what Stephanie and Rabbi Jeffrey Khan have built here: a pharmaceutical-quality dispensary experience that can cater to the seasoned stoner as well as accommodate the new patient seeking to medicate severe symptoms.  That vibe at Takoma Wellness has endured despite many challenges to the local industry. 

Getting to Takoma Wellness Center is easy no matter what method of transportation you rely on. Maryland patients will especially appreciate that this dispensary is a stone’s throw away from the DC border—and like all DC Rx dispensaries, honors your MMCC medical card (as for every other state and territory in the US). The Metro’s Takoma Station off the Red Line puts you within a two-minute walk from their front door. They also have a dedicated parking lot. 

Takoma Wellness Center

Check-in at Takoma Wellness takes place outside of the dispensary at one of two or three stations to ensure a steady flow of patients. If you’re a first-time visitor, you’ll have a couple of forms to fill out. Otherwise, you will soon find yourself greeted by the kind security guard and ushered into the lobby. After a dispensary agent is assigned to you to help you shop, you will be invited onto the sales floor. 

Of the many unique features that stand out in the Takoma Wellness shopping experience, the display cases are of note: all available flower is on display for you to view prior to purchase, which is a novel experience in most DC medical dispensaries. This also sums up the Takoma Wellness shopping experience — transparent, accommodating and reliably well-stocked.

Takoma Wellness Center also has an online menu which they update regularly. You can place your order for pick-up or delivery. Their hours of operation are Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm.  

What’s on the Menu at Takoma Wellness? 

Virtually everything that is to be found on DC’s medical market! Takoma Wellness Center blows my mind — they stock tasty flower, concentrates, carts, edibles, tinctures and topicals that I haven’t seen for weeks at other dispensaries, all in fresh batches. On top of that, they have items that I’ve never seen anywhere, ever — who knew that Abatin Wellness had so many more strains, and why am I just now learning about their Kashmir Black? Where has local grower Center City Cultivation been hiding all this time, other than up in Takoma? It’s tough for the uninitiated to say, but they’ve been steady on the Takoma Wellness menu. 

Whenever I grow accustomed to a flower or concentrate, and it disappears from the shelves at my nearby shops, I always optimistically give the menu over at Takoma Wellness a quick look, and I’m rarely disappointed. Check out the Takoma Wellness Center menu for a ton of great products you won’t find elsewhere — and when you visit, tell them we said “hey!”