Medical Card Miami – Laws

Patients

Amendment 2, and the expanded qualifying medical conditions, became effective on January 3, 2017. Section 381.986 F.S. remains in effect and the Florida Department of Health, physicians, dispensing organizations, and patients remain bound by existing law and rule. The Department is committed to quickly moving through the rulemaking process to create a regulatory structure for Amendment 2. For information about how to get started, please click here.

It is the responsibility of the qualified ordering physician to follow Florida constitution and statute, diagnose patients and determine if medical marijuana is an appropriate treatment. In partnership with law enforcement, enforcement actions initiated by the department against patients, doctors and businesses will be focused on those operating outside the regulatory structure in Florida law.

A patient qualified to receive an order for HIGH & low-THC medical cannabis must:

•   Be a permanent resident of Florida.
•   Be entered into the Compassionate Use Registry by a qualified physician
•   Be diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition

Find a Qualified Physician

The Office of Compassionate Use maintains a list of physicians who have completed the required 8 hour education course. Any physician who holds an active, unrestricted license as a physician under Chapter 458, F.S. or an osteopathic physician under Chapter 459, F.S. may take the required course and examination.

For more information about Florida Marijuana and Doctors license verification, and to view practitioner profiles please visit the MQA Search Portal

Find a Dispensing Organization

Patients and legal representative may only fill orders for medical marijuana with one of the state’s seven approved dispensing organizations. Dispensing organizations are currently in the process of opening dispensing facilities around the state. Dispensing organizations may deliver medical cannabis to qualified patients and legal representatives. If you do not have a dispensing facility in your city you can still fill your order by contacting a dispensing organization and arranging for a delivery. The Office of Compassionate Use does not dispense medical marijuana to patients. Please contact one of the seven dispensing organizations directly to fill your order.

Visit the Dispensing Organization page for more information

Low-THC and Medical Cannabis

Section 381.986, F.S. permits qualified physicians to order low-THC cannabis for a eligible patients suffering from (1) cancer or (2) a physical medical condition that chronically produces symptoms of seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms, to alleviate symptoms of such disease, disorder, or condition, if no other satisfactory alternative treatment options exist for the qualified patient. See section 381.986, Florida Statutes. The statute also allows a qualified physician to order medical cannabis for an eligible patient with a terminal condition that is attested to by the patient’s physician and confirmed by a second independent evaluation by a board-certified physician in an appropriate specialty for that condition.

Florida law defines a terminal condition as a “progressive disease or medical or surgical condition that causes significant functional impairment, is not considered by a treating physician to be reversible even with the administration of available treatment options currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, and, without the administration of life-sustaining procedures, will result in death within one year after diagnosis if the condition runs its normal course.”

The Department has initiated rulemaking to create a regulatory structure for Amendment 2. For information about the rulemaking process, please click here.

The medical use of low-THC cannabis or medical cannabis does NOT include the following:

    The transfer of low-THC cannabis or medical cannabis to a person other than the qualified patient for whom it was ordered or their legal representative.

    The use or administration of low-THC cannabis or medical cannabis on any form of public transportation, in any public place, in a qualified patient’s place of employment, if restricted by his or her employer, in a state correctional institution, on the grounds of a preschool, primary school, or secondary school or any school bus or vehicle.

Patient helpline

If you need assistance, or have questions not addressed in the Patient’s Guide please call: (850) 245-4720

Medical marijuana is available in Florida, however, remains illegal under federal law.