Florida Marijuana Laws
In short, Florida allows medical marijuana only for a patient whom a qualified physician certifies and the state approves for an ID card. A first certification requires an in-person exam with the physician in the same room. The ID card costs $75 for each initial or renewal application, and paying online adds a $2.75 convenience fee.
Florida law lets qualified patients use medical marijuana, including smokable flower since 2019, once a qualified physician certifies them and the OMMU issues an ID card. A patient may buy up to 2.5 ounces of smokable flower per 35 days and possess up to 4 ounces. Use in public places and vehicles is barred except for low-THC cannabis not in a form for smoking, and use on school grounds is barred except under a school district’s policy for student patients.
Smoking Was Not a Legal Medical Use in Florida Until 2019
The 2017 law that put Amendment 2 into effect left smoking out of the definition of medical use.
This changed in 2019 when the Florida legislature passed Senate Bill 182 allowing qualified patients to smoke their medical marijuana. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law on March 18, 2019. The 2019 law ended that exclusion and added smoking to the statutory definition of medical use. Before that law, the 2017 definition of medical use already covered edibles and flower in a sealed, tamper-proof receptacle for vaping.
What Are Florida’s Rules for Smoking Medical Marijuana?
For every form, the qualified physician enters in the registry the amount and forms of marijuana authorized and any delivery devices you need. The 2019 law also requires a qualified physician who finds smoking an appropriate route for a patient without a terminal condition to send the board supporting documentation. For patients, marijuana in a form for smoking is now one of the forms a qualified physician may authorize in the state registry.
Under this law, a patient may use whole flower cannabis for smoking. A patient certified for smoking signs an informed consent form at each certification that covers the health risks of smoking.
A patient certified for smoking may receive up to 2.5 ounces of whole flower in each 35-day period and may possess up to 4 ounces at a time. The physician sets the amount in the registry, and a DOH-approved exception can raise it. Under s. 381.986(1)(h), patients may buy delivery devices for smoking from sellers other than a medical marijuana treatment center.
People who choose smoking follow the same location limits as every other route, plus one more. Florida law bars smoking medical marijuana in any public place, in a vehicle or motorboat and in an enclosed indoor workplace, and limits any use on school grounds to a school district’s policy for student patients.
Can Minors Use Smokable Medical Marijuana in Florida?
Smoking Rules for Patients Under 18
Stricter smoking rules apply to children under the age of 18. A minor may be certified for smoking only with a terminal condition, only if smoking is the most effective route, and only if a specialty-certified pediatrician also agrees. The certifying physician must also obtain the written informed consent of the child’s parent or legal guardian before certifying marijuana for smoking.
To use any of these forms, a patient first needs a certification from a qualified physician and then an approved state ID card, the Florida medical marijuana card.
When Did Florida Allow Smoking Medical Marijuana?
Florida allowed smoking as a medical use on March 18, 2019, when the Governor approved Senate Bill 182. It became Chapter 2019-1, Laws of Florida, the act that added smoking to the medical cannabis uses a qualified physician may certify.
As of the OMMU weekly update of October 16, 2026, Florida had 942,952 qualified patients with an active ID card. Recreational use is still not legal in Florida: Amendment 3 won 55.9% of the 2024 vote, short of the 60% required, and possessing 20 grams or less of cannabis without a card, not counting resin or anything prepared from resin, is a first-degree misdemeanor.
Medical review
Reviewed by Dr. Achilles Kalnoky, last reviewed .
He is licensed in Florida as a medical doctor, license ME115088, which you can check on the Florida Department of Health license lookup.
His review covers the medical statements and the statements of Florida law on this page.
Locations in Florida
