Cannabis
in Florida Dispensaries, Deals & Laws

Florida has no adult-use programme, so lawful possession is limited to patients in the Medical Marijuana Use Registry under Fla. Stat. 381.986. For these patients, limits are counted as a days' supply set by the certifying physician rather than as a fixed weight. The sources in this brief describe certifications that cover up to three 70-day supply periods per visit, but they do not give the gram amounts per period, so the physician's order and the registry are the reference. For anyone outside the programme, possessing 20 grams or less is a misdemeanour under Fla. Stat. 893.13, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. More than 20 grams is a felony. Some counties and cities, including Miami-Dade and Broward, issue civil citations for small amounts instead.

Florida has no adult-use market, so it has no age at which adults may lawfully buy cannabis recreationally. The age rules that exist sit inside the medical programme under Fla. Stat. 381.986. Adult patients 18 and older can be certified by a qualified physician and added to the registry. Younger patients may take part through a parent or legal guardian, and they face extra safeguards. A second physician must agree that the benefits outweigh the risks. A patient under 18 cannot be certified for smokable marijuana unless they have a terminal condition and a pediatric board-certified physician concurs. Written informed consent from a parent or guardian is also required for smoking. The 2024 ballot measure that would have set an adult-use age of 21 did not pass.

Growing cannabis at home is not legal in Florida for anyone, including registered medical patients. Only licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers may cultivate, and they operate as vertically integrated businesses that grow, process and sell through their own dispensaries. For anyone else, cultivation falls under the controlled substance offences in Chapter 893 of the Florida Statutes. Two attempts to change this have failed. A bill that would have allowed medical patients to grow up to six plants did not pass. Amendment 3 in 2024 would have let adults 21 and older cultivate at home, and it won 56 percent of the vote but fell short of the 60 percent the Florida constitution requires. The Legislature did not hold hearings on adult-use bills in 2025 or 2026.

The Florida Department of Health's Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) regulates the medical marijuana program. MMTCs are vertically integrated, handling cultivation, processing, and dispensing.

The research brief for Florida does not establish any cannabis tax rate, and Fla. Stat. 381.986, the official source in the brief, does not set one for medical purchases. Florida has only a medical programme, supplied by licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers, and there is no adult-use market to tax. The only tax figure in the sources is a projection: roughly $190 million a year in revenue if recreational cannabis were ever legalized, which it has not been after the 2024 ballot measure failed. The brief does not address whether sales tax applies to medical cannabis or related items, so this page makes no claim either way. Patients with questions about what they are charged should ask their treatment center or the Florida Department of Revenue.

Florida has no dispensary lounges or other licensed places to consume cannabis. Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers dispense products but do not host consumption. Public use is prohibited even for registered patients. Consumption is also barred in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, on school grounds, in correctional facilities and on federal property. Medical use, including smoking where the physician has certified it, is effectively limited to private settings. Anyone without registry status who uses cannabis anywhere risks prosecution under Chapter 893 of the Florida Statutes. Employers may keep drug-free workplace policies and may discipline employees for cannabis use even when the employee is a registered patient.

Qualified patients with a Medical Marijuana Use Registry identification card can purchase cannabis from any of the 716+ licensed dispensary locations operated by MMTCs across Florida.

Qualifying conditions include: cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, PTSD, ALS, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, medical conditions of the same kind or class, terminal conditions, chronic nonmalignant pain, and any condition that a physician believes could benefit from medical marijuana. The law provides physicians broad discretion.

Yes, patients must be entered into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry by a qualified physician and apply for a registry identification card through the Florida Department of Health.

The state application fee is $75 annually. Physician consultation fees vary but typically range from $150-300. As of 2025, there are over 800,000 registered patients in Florida's program. Cards must be renewed annually.

Florida does not allow telemedicine for initial medical cannabis consultations. All initial consultations must be conducted in person. For follow up consultations, patients may use telemedicine to see their established cannabis doctor.

Florida does not recognise medical cannabis cards issued by other states. To buy or possess medical marijuana legally, a patient must be a Florida resident, whether permanent or seasonal. They must also be entered in the Medical Marijuana Use Registry by a qualified Florida physician after an in-person examination, as Fla. Stat. 381.986 requires. A visitor carrying a card from home has no protection. Cannabis they bring into the state is treated like any other unauthorized possession under Chapter 893, where 20 grams or less is a misdemeanour and anything more is a felony. Seasonal residents who meet the residency test can register like anyone else. Tourists without Florida residency have no lawful way to obtain medical cannabis in the state.