In Florida, you have to be eighteen years of age or older. Therefore, when you get your health evaluation and apply to become a registered patient with OMMU, you must provide identification to prove you are eighteen (18) years or older.

If you are under the age of 18-years, you will have to apply with a parent or guardian. That person will be a designated ‘caregiver’ or someone that will be legally allowed to purchase medical marijuana for your health needs.

Caregivers in Florida have to be over twenty-one years and a parent or legal guardian of the minor (child). In some circumstances, people under the age of 21 can become caregivers. However, it requires a special request from the OMMU.

Before you can get your Florida medical card, you need to be referred to or approved by a doctor. There is a fee for the medical marijuana health evaluation service, whether you attend the office or online in a telemedicine appointment.

The cost of the doctor’s health check varies depending on the physician. But the total cost of registration (after you have received a physician referral) is $77.25. Doctors that can give you the medical marijuana health check are specially trained. Click to see a list of marijuana doctors in Florida.

Patients in Florida are required to consult with a marijuana doctor every 210 days. This is to help doctors check health or prescription medication changes that can be contraindicated (conflict) with cannabis.l This helps improve patient safety.

In Florida, the MMUR (Medical Marijuana Use Registry) is linked to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) database. That helps to make the application process easier for residents of the Sunshine State.

The picture that was used to issue your driver’s license will automatically upload now on the system. So if you have a driver’s license, there is no need to get a passport-size picture for your marijuana card application. And the FLHSMV also automatically verifies your legal address and residency (proof that you live in Florida).

All cannabis products are available through licensed dispensaries for residents who have a medical marijuana card. This gives Florida medical cardholders the chance to try different types of cannabis. And learn what kind of intake method works best for them.

If you have a respiratory condition, for example, vaping cannabis may not be the best option. Instead, you can search for a medical marijuana dispensary near you and look at the products that they have available. 

In 2021, the following marijuana products are legally available to patients that have a medical card: Whole flower, Vape carts, Pre-rolled cannabis, Kief, Terp saps, and CBD supplements.

As of July 1, 2021, the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) in Florida requires that patients sign a waiver regarding smokable cannabis. The waiver also outlines precautions such as smoking near oxygen containers and the health risks of mold in paraphernalia.

The Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) licenses medical marijuana dispensaries in Florida. Dispensaries for medical cardholders are called Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs).

Dispensaries in Florida are vertically integrated. That means every dispensary must cultivate, process and manufacture, and retail medical cannabis products to patients. This means that each MMTC is responsible for quality control, safety, and third-party testing of medical marijuana for patients in Florida.

Medical marijuana in Florida was legalized through the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014. The new legislation was enacted on January 1, 2015. At that time, patients had access only to low-THC marijuana for qualified patients.

The Florida Board of Medicine has stated that physicians are prohibited from prescribing controlled substances (including cannabis) through telemedicine appointments. The only exception to this rule is in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Physicians cannot prescribe cannabis legally. But they can ‘order’ it for a patient. Because of the contradiction, for the time being, doctors have to see a patient in-person to complete an MMJ health evaluation.

In Florida, the MMUR (Medical Marijuana Use Registry) is linked to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) database. That helps to make the application process easier for residents of the Sunshine State.

The picture that was used to issue your driver’s license will automatically upload now on the system. So if you have a driver’s license, there is no need to get a passport-size picture for your marijuana card application. And the FLHSMV also automatically verifies your legal address and residency (proof that you live in Florida).

Suppose you make a paper application to OMMU for your Florida medical card. In that case, you will still be required to provide copies of your photo identification and other documents and mail them in. However, mailing your application takes longer than doing it online.

This new service has made it faster and easier to get your Florida medical card. When you apply online, it takes about ten (10) days for the OMMU to respond. If you are approved, you should receive your Florida medical marijuana card in three to five (3-5) business days after that. Your card will arrive by mail.

If you want to check your medical card application status, you can use the OMMU website or call 1-800-808-9580.

When you completed your health evaluation with a Florida marijuana doctor, you provided an email address. You will receive an email with the subject line: “Medical Marijuana Use Registry New User Account.” That email will contain a link to the website to complete setting up your patient profile online. The username for your account will be the email address you provided to your doctor.

Your Florida medical card is good for one (1) year. At the time of writing (June 2021), the cost of renewing a Florida medical marijuana card is $75.00 plus a $2.25 transaction fee. The medical card must be renewed annually before the expiration date. Therefore, it is essential to allow time for processing.

If you allow your Florida medical card to expire, you will have to go through the application process again. And that means getting another medical health evaluation from a Florida marijuana doctor and paying the registration fees again.

If you do not have your medical card, you will not be allowed to purchase medicinal cannabis from an MMTC dispensary. You need to have a government-issued photo ID (like a driver’s license) and your medical card to buy cannabis.

Patients who have lost their Florida medical card can submit a “Change, Replacement or Surrender Request Form” on the OMMU website. In addition, you will need to provide a copy (front and back) of your driver’s license and pay a $15 replacement fee.

Caregivers must complete this form and process after a patient is deceased or if the physician no longer recommends medical cannabis treatments for the patient.

If you change addresses, you also have to let the Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use know. When you update the address for your driver’s license, make sure you submit an address change for your medical card.