Which Medical Conditions Qualify in Florida?

What Conditions Qualify for a Florida Medical Marijuana Card?

Florida law, in s. 381.986(2), names ten conditions: cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, positive status for HIV, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. It also lists chronic nonmalignant pain and a terminal condition diagnosed by another physician. A physician decides after an exam whether you qualify, and certification is never promised.

The Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) lists the same conditions on its patients page. One more paragraph, (2)(k), covers conditions comparable to the first ten. The sections below take up that paragraph, the terminal condition and chronic pain entries, and what happens when your condition is not listed.

What Does “Comparable Condition” Mean in Florida Law?

Paragraph (2)(k) covers medical conditions “of the same kind or class as or comparable to those enumerated in paragraphs (a)-(j).” That test compares a condition with the ten named ones, from cancer through multiple sclerosis. It does not compare a condition with the terminal condition or chronic pain entries.

After examining you, a qualified physician may also certify you for another condition, such as some cases of anxiety, depression, migraines or neuropathy, if it is of the same kind or class as, or comparable to, one of the listed conditions other than a terminal condition or chronic nonmalignant pain; that decision is at the physician’s discretion, and certification is never promised.

The law adds a step for these certifications. A physician who certifies a patient under paragraph (2)(k) must send documentation to the applicable board within 14 days. That submission includes documentation supporting the physician’s opinion that the condition is of the same kind or class as the listed conditions (s. 381.986(4)(b)).

What Are a Terminal Condition and Chronic Nonmalignant Pain Under the Statute?

The statute defines two of these entries in s. 381.986(1).

Terminal condition. Under paragraph (2)(l), a terminal condition must be diagnosed by a physician other than the qualified physician issuing the certification. Paragraph (1)(p) defines it as “a progressive disease or medical or surgical condition that causes significant functional impairment, is not considered by a treating physician to be reversible without the administration of life-sustaining procedures, and will result in death within 1 year after diagnosis if the condition runs its normal course.”

Chronic nonmalignant pain. Paragraph (1)(c) defines it as “pain that is caused by a qualifying medical condition or that originates from a qualifying medical condition and persists beyond the usual course of that qualifying medical condition.” The definition ties the pain to a qualifying medical condition.

What Happens If Your Condition Is Not Listed?

A condition that is not on the list is not automatically excluded, and it is not automatically included. After an exam, the physician decides whether it meets the (2)(k) test described above. If the physician finds that it does not, there is no certification for that condition.

The Florida Constitution, in Article X, section 29, defines a qualifying patient as “a person who has been diagnosed to have a debilitating medical condition, who has a physician certification and a valid qualifying patient identification card.” A diagnosis alone is not enough. You need the physician’s certification, and then the ID card from the OMMU.

What Does a Physician Have to Do Before Certifying You?

Only a qualified physician can certify you. Florida law requires an active, unrestricted license as an allopathic or osteopathic physician. It also requires a 2-hour course and exam from the Florida Medical Association or the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, taken before approval and before each license renewal (s. 381.986(1)(n) and (3)(a)).

Before issuing a certification, the statute requires the qualified physician to do several things, including:

• conduct an examination and a full assessment of your medical history;
• diagnose you with at least one qualifying medical condition;
• determine whether you are pregnant and document it;
• review your controlled drug prescription history in the state’s prescription drug monitoring program database;
• determine that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for you, and document that determination in your medical record; and
• obtain your voluntary and informed written consent each time the physician issues a certification.

If the physician certifies you, the physician enters the certification in the registry. The entry includes your qualifying condition, the dosage, the amount and forms of marijuana authorized, and any delivery devices needed. Whether you qualify is the physician’s decision, made after your exam.

Can Minors or Pregnant Patients Qualify?

The points below describe the law only.

• Under 18. If a patient is younger than 18, a second physician must concur with the certifying physician’s determination that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks. The concurrence must be documented in the patient’s medical record (s. 381.986(4)(a)3). The OMMU must also receive written consent from the patient’s parent or legal guardian before it issues the ID card (s. 381.986(7)(b)).
• Smoking, under 18. A physician may not certify marijuana in a form for smoking to a patient under 18. The exception is a patient with a terminal condition, when the further conditions in s. 381.986(4)(d) are met.
• Pregnancy. A qualified physician may not issue a certification for marijuana other than low-THC cannabis to a patient who is pregnant (s. 381.986(4)(a)4).

How Do You Get Evaluated?

The first exam is in person: Florida law requires an in-person physical examination by the qualified physician before an initial certification is issued (s. 381.986(4)(a)1). Later exams for a renewal may be done by telehealth, but only by the physician who examined you in person. Our Florida medical marijuana card renewal page explains that step.

Dr. Green Relief examines Florida patients in person at three offices: Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota. A new patient visit is $99 in Fort Myers, $99 in Sarasota and $199 in Tampa. The state charges its own ID card fee when you apply, and our Florida medical marijuana card cost page sets it out.

100 percent money-back guarantee: if the physician does not certify you at your visit, your evaluation fee is refunded in full to the card you paid with that same day, and your bank’s processing time then applies. The $75 state ID card fee is paid to the Florida Department of Health and is not part of this refund.

For the whole process, from the exam to the OMMU application, read our Florida medical marijuana card guide.

What Else Do People Ask About Florida Qualifying Conditions?

Can you get a medical card for anxiety in Florida?

Anxiety is not one of the conditions listed in s. 381.986(2). A qualified physician may certify some cases of it only through the comparable-condition paragraph. The physician must find it to be of the same kind or class as, or comparable to, one of the ten named conditions. That decision is at the physician’s discretion, and certification is never promised.

What are the Florida medical weed conditions?

“Medical weed” is a casual name for medical marijuana, the term Florida law uses. One list of conditions applies, and it is the one on this page.

Is a diagnosis enough to get a card?

No. Under Article X, section 29, you need a physician certification and a valid ID card, in addition to the diagnosis.

Do you have to live in Florida?

You must be a permanent or seasonal Florida resident, according to the OMMU patients page. Our page on the Florida medical marijuana card for seasonal residents explains the seasonal definition and the documents.

Sources: s. 381.986, Florida Statutes, (1)(c), (1)(n), (1)(p), (2), (3)(a), (4)(a)1, (4)(a)3, (4)(a)4, (4)(a)5, (4)(a)7, (4)(a)8, (4)(b), (4)(d) and (7)(b); Article X, section 29, Florida Constitution; Florida Department of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana Use, patients page.

The facts on this page were checked against official sources, including section 381.986 of the Florida Statutes, Article X section 29 of the Florida Constitution and the Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use, by the Dr. Green Relief editorial team. Last reviewed October 19, 2026.

Last updated October 19, 2026 by the Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team.