Here is a step-by-step guide to legally obtain a medical marijuana card in Florida. You will learn how to qualify, which doctors are certified to recommend cannabis and how to easily get approved.
Step 1 – See if you qualify under Florida’s expanded guidelines and find your supporting medical records.
Florida requires patients have a recent diagnosis (within 1 year) for the medical condition they get cannabis to treat. This means you need to have your medical records handy to expedite the process through the state. Your medical marijuana doctor will need them to successfully qualify you for cannabis.
Step 2 – Find a state certified medical marijuana doctor near you.
Not every physician in Florida can recommend cannabis to qualified patients. The Department of Health requires that any doctor in good standing take a 2-hour course on using marijuana as medicine and pass a related exam to become certified.
The Office Of Medical Marijuana Use a division of the DOH is charged with approving doctors for medical marijuana certification and you may search their database of approved physicians here.
*Useful tip – When looking for the best doctor to treat your condition with medical marijuana be sure to ask the following questions in order to save your time, and money.
- How much do you charge for the initial visit, treatment plan and cannabis recommendation? Most physicians follow Amendment 2 guidelines which state that patients must renew their prescriptions in person with their doctor every 210 days. If the doctor you call insists that you come in and pay for more appointments then necessary, it may be a red flag.
- Be sure to ask them if they have experience dealing with your condition, and how long they have been recommending cannabis to patients. Many physicians are passionate about marijuana as medicine and that’s the type of doctor you want to oversea your treatments.
Step 3 – Submit your application to the state
When you go into your first appointment your doctor will comprise a treatment plan specifically designed for your health needs. They will submit a complete application to the OMMU on your behalf. It will consist of your detailed medical records, diagnosis and 70-day cannabis recommendation as required by state law. (* most doctors simply re certify your cannabis recommendation every 70-days at no charge).
Within 24 hours you will receive an email from the OMMU welcoming you to the medical marijuana program in Florida. It will also include your patient number and direct contact information for the Department of Health. The Office of Medical Marijuana Use’s link will be provided and at this time you must click it and follow it into your new online profile.
Step #4 – Pay the yearly registration fee of $75.00 for your MMJ Card and complete your application
To complete your application submission, you will need to pay the yearly registration fee for your medical marijuana ID card. The OMMU provides you with a couple payment options here. You can either make the payment online with a debit or credit card. Or physically mail in a check or money order as your payment. (* You must wait for OMMU approval before your allowed to purchase cannabis. Paying the fees online is must faster them mailing the money and you won’t be approved until they verify your payment in full.)
The state’s website will validate your Florida residency from the Department of Motor Vehicles. A picture of your driver’s license will populate within your profile, so you can verify it’s you, and complete the application process. For those without a DL you may verify your Florida residency using a utility bill, or other state issued ID.
I’m Approved Now What?
Your temporary approval comes in another email about 5-14 days from the time you submit a complete application to the OMMU. The email will have your “temporary approval” status, along with information about your yearly registration requirements and a link to the dispensaries in Florida.
Your physical medical marijuana ID card will come through the mail within 6 weeks according to OMMU officials. Although your ready to buy cannabis from a dispensary with your temporary approval status.
There are 14 approved dispensary license holders in Florida. Each allowed up to 25 satellite locations throughout Florida. Every major city has multiple dispensary locations and all of them provide home delivery service anywhere in the state.
Florida Dispensaries – Trulieve, Curaleaf, Knox-Medical, Grow Healthy, Surterra, 3-Boys Farms, Liberty Health Sciences (Aphria), Vidacann, and The Green Solution are currently dispensing cannabis to approved patients.
Which Marijuana Products Are Available in Florida
There are some restrictions in the sunshine state including “no flower”. That means that dispensaries can not sell whole buds like in other states. A misconception that people have is that you can buy CBD oil in Florida without a medical marijuana card. Florida dispensaries may only sell CBD oil to approved patients. The approved products in Florida are oil based and consist of; vape oil, tinctures, topicals like patches, lotions and balms and concentrates.
