Yes, you can buy weed in Florida, but only if you are a registered medical marijuana patient with a state-issued identification card. Recreational sales remain illegal after a 2024 ballot measure fell short of the 60 percent threshold needed to change the constitution. If you qualify medically, roughly 750 licensed dispensary locations across the state will sell to you once you have your card in hand.
Why Recreational Sales Are Still Off the Table
Amendment 3, on the November 2024 ballot, would have let adults 21 and older buy marijuana for personal use. It got about 56 percent of the vote. In most states that is a comfortable win. In Florida, constitutional amendments need 60 percent, so the measure failed and recreational purchase, possession, and use remain criminal offenses for anyone without a medical card.
A new initiative titled “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” is active with the Florida Department of State, but it is aimed at the 2028 election, not 2026.1Florida Department of State. Adult Personal Use of Marijuana Plan on the medical-only system staying in place for at least the next several years.
Who Qualifies as a Medical Marijuana Patient
A physician registered with the Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) has to diagnose you with a qualifying condition. The first evaluation must be in person; renewals can be done by telehealth.2Florida Department of Health. Medical Marijuana: Florida Medical Marijuana Use Registry
Florida’s statute lists the qualifying conditions:
- Cancer
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- HIV/AIDS
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Crohn’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Chronic nonmalignant pain
- Terminal conditions diagnosed by a physician other than the certifying doctor
The law also lets a physician certify conditions “of the same kind or class as or comparable to” those listed.3Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 381.986 – Medical Use of Marijuana Anxiety, fibromyalgia, and migraines have been certified under that provision, though it comes down to the individual doctor’s judgment.
You also have to be a Florida resident. Permanent residents show a Florida driver’s license or state ID. Seasonal residents qualify by spending at least 31 consecutive days in Florida each calendar year and documenting a temporary Florida address with something like a lease, utility bill, or mortgage statement.
How to Get Your Card
The whole process usually takes a few weeks, and it has three steps.
Book an appointment with an OMMU-registered physician. The visit typically runs $150 to $250 out of pocket because health insurance does not cover cannabis evaluations. If the doctor certifies you, they enter your information into the state’s Medical Marijuana Use Registry.
Then apply to the OMMU for your Registry Identification Card. You will need proof of Florida residency, a passport-style photo, and a $75 annual fee. That fee is non-refundable whether or not your application is approved.
Once your card arrives, you can walk into any licensed dispensary. The card is good for one year, and both the card and your physician certification have to be renewed to keep buying legally.
Where and How to Buy
Purchases have to go through a state-licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MMTC). Florida has 28 licensed MMTCs running about 747 storefronts, so most patients live within driving distance of one.4Office Of Medical Marijuana Use. Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers These companies grow, process, and sell their own products under one license.
Bring your Registry ID card and a valid photo ID. Dispensaries stock flower, vape cartridges, oils, tinctures, topicals, and edibles. Your certification specifies which forms and routes of administration you are approved for, so not every product on the shelf will be available to you.
How Much You Can Buy and Possess
Florida limits your supply on a rolling basis. Smokable flower is capped at 2.5 ounces every 35 days.3Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 381.986 – Medical Use of Marijuana For all other forms combined, the aggregate cap is 24,500 milligrams of THC over 70 days. Your physician can petition the OMMU for a higher allowance if your treatment needs justify it.
Hemp and CBD Products Without a Card
Hemp-derived products with less than 0.3 percent Delta-9 THC by dry weight are federally legal, and Florida has long allowed their sale at gas stations, smoke shops, and online retailers with no medical card required. That market changed on January 1, 2026, when CS/HB 7027 took effect.
The new law imposes strict caps on hemp-derived THC:5Florida Senate. CS/HB 7027 Bill Analysis
- Edibles: 5 milligrams of psychotropic cannabinoids per piece, 100 milligrams per package
- Beverages: 5 milligrams per 6 fluid ounces, 10 milligrams per container, 100 milligrams per package
- Inhalables: 5 milligrams per unit, 100 milligrams per package
Retailers cannot sell more than 100 milligrams of hemp THC to any one person in 24 hours, buyers must be 21 or older, sellers need a food permit from the Department of Agriculture, packaging has to be child-resistant, and products designed to appeal to children are banned. High-potency gummies and vapes that used to sit openly on shelves can no longer be sold in their old formulations.
What Happens If You Buy or Carry Without a Card
Possessing 20 grams or less of marijuana without a medical card is a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.6Justia. Florida Code 893.13 – Prohibited Acts; Penalties7Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 775.083 – Fines Twenty grams is roughly two-thirds of an ounce.
Anything over 20 grams is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.8Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 775.082 – Penalties; Applicability of Sentencing Structures;டispositions A felony also brings collateral consequences that outlast the sentence itself: employment barriers, loss of certain professional licenses, and restrictions on voting rights until all terms of the sentence are complete.
What Your Card Does Not Cover
A medical card gives you the right to buy, possess, and use cannabis under state law. It does not give you a pass in several situations patients often assume it does.
Driving
Florida’s DUI statute treats marijuana impairment the same as alcohol. You are guilty if your normal faculties are impaired by a controlled substance while driving. There is no set THC blood level that automatically triggers a charge, so prosecutors rely on officer observations, field sobriety tests, and sometimes blood or urine results. A first offense carries a fine between $500 and $1,000 and up to six months in jail. Your card does not shield you from a DUI charge.
Firearms
Federal law bars any “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” from buying or possessing a firearm, and marijuana remains federally illegal. A December 2025 executive order directed the Department of Justice to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III, but that had not been completed as of early 2026. A January 2026 interim final rule narrowed the prohibition to “regular and recent” users rather than “isolated or sporadic” ones.9Federal Register. Revising Definition of Unlawful User of or Addicted to Controlled Substance A patient using cannabis on any regular schedule still meets that standard. Answering honestly about use on ATF Form 4473 results in a denied sale; answering dishonestly is a separate federal crime.
Federal Property
Your card is worthless on federal land. National forests, national parks, military bases, VA hospitals, federal courthouses, and post offices are all federal jurisdictions where any amount of cannabis is illegal. A first offense on National Forest land can bring a mandatory court appearance, up to one year in prison, and a minimum $1,000 fine.10U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Cannabis Use on National Forest System Lands Leave your medicine at home before heading to the Everglades or Ocala National Forest.
Federally Assisted Housing
If you live in public housing or use a federal housing subsidy, cannabis use can cost you your home. HUD policy requires owners of federally assisted housing to deny admission to anyone the owner determines is using a federally controlled substance, and existing tenants can be evicted for marijuana use even with a valid Florida card.11U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Use of Marijuana in Multifamily Assisted Properties Owners have some case-by-case discretion, but they cannot adopt policies that affirmatively permit use on the premises.