Posted on October 30, 2019

For decades, it has been a pipe dream of cannabis fans across the state to be able to buy marijuana legally in Florida. Although not just anyone can rush out and grab a bag of their favorite bud, smokable, dried cannabis flower is now available to card-holding medical marijuana patients in the Sunshine state. 

But in order to hold one of those cards, patients must be diagnosed with one of the qualifying medical conditions which we'll address below.

Assuming you’re approved by a state-certified marijuana doctor you’ll be granted a Florida medical marijuana card. Once you have that in hand, getting your medicine should not be difficult — especially with legal statewide delivery. 

Things haven’t always been this way. When the voters in the state approved a major overhaul of Florida’s medical cannabis program, it was pretty much assumed that legalizing medical marijuana meant legalizing actual, dried marijuana flower for the purpose of smoking.

However, state lawmakers, feeling that they were protecting the health of their constituents, took advantage of the fact that the ballot initiative language did not expressly mention smoking. And when they drafted legislation as mandated by the amendment, they decided to leave smokeables out. 

The ban on smokeables caused an uproar amongst cannabis policy reform advocates, patients, and stakeholders in the industry alike. 

One man, John Morgan, took it upon himself to lead the charge in overturning the smokeables ban. Morgan, who had, for the most part, bankrolled the campaign to pass the medical marijuana amendment, took the state to court. And he won.

The state appealed the judge’s decision. And that’s where things sat when incoming governor Ron DeSantis took office in early 2019. 

Much to almost everyone’s surprise, DeSantis called upon state lawmakers to reverse the ban and legalize smokable medical marijuana, and fast, saying that if lawmakers did not act quickly he would simply end the state’s appeal and force their hand.

They complied. And in the Spring of 2019, much to the joy of thousands of medical marijuana patients in the state, smokeable medical marijuana officially became legal in Florida. 

The revised law now permits patients over the age of 18 to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana flower every 35 days.

That being established, let’s go over how to buy marijuana flower legally in Florida. First, we’ll cover how to get approved for a medical marijuana card, then we’ll talk about where to get your medicine.

You need a medical marijuana card

If you want to buy marijuana legally in Florida you must have a medical marijuana card. It’s non-negotiable. If you're considering purchasing your buds illegally, please note that you’re looking at potential jail time and fines.

In order to obtain the card, you need to qualify, which means being diagnosed with one of the following medical conditions. 

  • Cancer

  • Epilepsy

  • Glaucoma

  • HIV/AIDS

  • Crohn’s disease

  • Parkinson’s disease

  • Multiple sclerosis (MS)

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

  • A terminal condition diagnosed by a physician other than the qualified physician issuing the physician certification

  • Medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to those above

  • Chronic nonmalignant pain 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

To receive your diagnoses, you'll need to make an appointment with a state-certified marijuana doctor. That’s where we come in. We’re the #1 provider of medical marijuana referrals in Florida with 17 locations statewide. 

The first thing you want to do is call us for a free review of your medical history. We’ll tell you right away if you might qualify. If you do, we’ll set up an appointment to meet with one of our state-certified physicians and walk you through the entire process. 

Be sure to bring your ID and medical records to your appointment. Be prepared to list your symptoms, any treatments you’ve tried in the past, what you’re currently doing to treat your illness, and whatever else you think the doctor should know. 

If our doctor determines that you are eligible for a Florida medical marijuana card, they’ll enter your information into the Florida Marijuana Use Registry. If you are approved, the doctor will determine your optimal THC dosage which will dictate your medical marijuana purchasing limits. 

Your doctor will then add your name to the Compassionate Care Registry after which you’ll need to log in yourself and complete the application process. You’ll also be required to pay an application fee of $75. 

As soon as you’ve been notified that you have been approved, you’ll be able to purchase medical marijuana with just your state ID. But you need the card to avoid potential legal hassles. So you might want to avoid taking your medicine out in pubic until you get your real card in the mail in a few weeks. 

Where to buy smokable marijuana

Okay, you’ve gotten approval, you know how much medical marijuana you’re permitted to buy (as determined by your doctor). Now it’s just a matter of finding a dispensary.

There are scores of medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida. And many of them offer home delivery. You can easily find one nearest you by doing a search on Google, Google Maps, Apple Map, Yelp, and so forth. 

Or you can look through the list below, find a company that operates a dispensary in your area and look them up. 

We hope this article was informative. If you have any questions at all, feel free to call us at (844) 442-0362, or email us at info@marijuanadoctor.com.

Or you can schedule an appointment online. 

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List of Florida medical marijuana dispensaries:

Müv Florida has locations in:

  • Apollo Beach

  • Longwood

  • Sarasota

  • Tampa

  • Wellington

Visit altmedflorida.com.

 

Curaleaf runs dispensaries in:

  • Bonita Springs

  • Daytona Beach

  • Deerfield Beach

  • Fort Pierce

  • Fort Myers

  • Gainesville

  • Jacksonville

  • Lakeland

  • Lake Worth

  • Lutz

  • Miami

  • North Palm Harbor

  • Ocala

  • Orange Park

  • Orlando

  • Palm Bay

  • St. Petersburg

  • Tallahassee

  • Tampa

  • Titusville

Visit fl.curaleaf.com

 

Harvest has shops in:

  • Jacksonville

  • Kissimmee

  • Longwood

  • North Port 

  • Tallahassee

Visit harvestinc.com

 

GrowHealthy runs dispensaries in:

  • Brandon

  • Lake Worth

  • West Palm Beach

Visit growhealthy.com

 

Trulieve has locations in:

  • Bonita Springs

  • Boynton Beach

  • Bradenton

  • Clearwater

  • Dania Beach

  • Deerfield Beach

  • Edgewater

  • Fort Lauderdale

  • Gainesville

  • Jacksonville

  • Lady Lake

  • Melbourne

  • Miami

  • Miami Gardens

  • New Port Richey

  • North Fort Myers

  • Orlando

  • Palm Coast

  • Pensacola

  • Sarasota

  • St. Augustine

  • St. Petersburg

  • Tallahassee

  • Tampa

  • Venice

  • Vero Beach

  • West Palm Beach

Visit trulieve.com

 

VidaCann dispensaries can be found in:

  • Bonita Springs

  • Bradenton

  • Deerfield Beach

  • Holly Hill

  • Orlando

  • Palm Bay

  • Port Charlotte

  • St. Petersburg

  • Tallahassee

  • Tampa

Visit vidacann.com

 

Surterra Wellness dispensaries are located in:

  • Brandon

  • Bonita Springs

  • Delray Beach

  • Deltona

  • Jacksonville

  • Key West

  • Lakeland

  • Largo

  • Miami

  • Miami Beach

  • New Port Richey

  • North Palm Beach

  • North Port

  • Ocala

  • Orange Park

  • Orlando

  • Palm Bay

  • Pensacola

  • Port Orange

  • Port St. Lucie

  • St. Petersburg

  • Tampa

  • Tallahassee

Visit surterra.com

 

Fluent, formerly known as Knox Medical, is located in:

  • Clearwater

  • Gainesville

  • Miami

  • Orlando

  • Tallahassee

Visit getfluent.com

 

Liberty Health Sciences has locations in:

  • Bonita Springs

  • Cape Coral

  • Dania Beach

  • Gainesville

  • Meritt Island

  • Miami

  • Orange Park

  • Palm Harbor

  • Port St. Lucie

  • St. Petersburg

  • Summerfield

  • Tampa

  • Winter Haven

Visit libertyhealthsciences.com

Rise has two locations in:

  • Deerfield Beach

  • Pinellas Park

Visit risecannabis.com