Florida Cannabis Laws: Medical Card Fees, Renewal, Smoking Limits and MMTC Licenses

Florida's Historic Capitol with striped red awnings beside a large magnolia tree in Tallahassee — Florida's Historic Capitol in Tallahassee. Photo by Michael Rivera via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized.

Last verified November 13, 2026. Facts come from the agency or source linked on this page. Where sources conflict or we could not confirm something, we say so.

How to Become a Florida Qualified Patient
Fees, Renewal and Supply Limits
Recent Law Changes and the Ballot Fight
Open a Dispensary
Timeline
FAQ
Related Reading

Florida at a Glance

Adult UseNot legal. The Smart & Safe Florida amendment did not qualify for the ballot.

Application Fee$75 for initial or renewal applications, plus a $2.75 convenience fee online.

Card ValidityExpires one year after approval. Renewal opens 45 days before expiry.

Smokable SupplyUp to 2.5 ounces per 35-day order, per state guidance.

Dispensary LicenseA $146,000 non-refundable application fee, with applications only in short windows the state sets.

Florida Patient Checklist

Confirm you are a permanent or seasonal Florida resident.
See a qualified physician who has completed the required training and get diagnosed with a qualifying condition.
Have the physician enter you into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry. Give them a current email address.
Apply for your ID card online or on paper and pay the application fee.
After approval, order from a state-approved medical marijuana treatment center. Some deliver.

Card Cost Planner

Add up card fees over the years you plan to hold a Florida card.

Years you plan to hold a card

Renewal Date Finder

Enter your approval date to estimate when it expires.

Approval date

How to Become a Florida Qualified Patient

The Office of Medical Marijuana Use, part of the Department of Health, runs the registry. A qualified physician has to certify your condition and enter you into the system before you can apply for a card.

You must be a permanent or seasonal Florida resident.
The condition list includes cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, PTSD, ALS, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. It also covers conditions of the same kind or class, terminal conditions diagnosed by another physician, and chronic nonmalignant pain caused by a qualifying condition.
Patients may buy only from a state-approved treatment center, and a center may deliver.

Fees, Renewal and Supply Limits

The application fee is $75 whether it is an initial or a renewal application, and online payment adds a $2.75 convenience fee. A declined or returned payment adds a $15 service fee. Change, replacement or surrender requests cost $15 if they apply.

Cards expire one year after approval, and a patient or caregiver has to renew every year to stay active.
Online applications average about 10 business days to process, and mailed ones take another 3 to 5 days.
A physician can decide that smoking is an appropriate route, but smoking is not allowed in public or in an indoor workplace.
A 35-day order for smokable marijuana may not exceed 2.5 ounces unless the state approves an exception. State materials say patients may not possess more than 4 ounces in a smokable form at one time, and a later law enforcement card describes it as the greater of 4 ounces or 1.6 times the ordered amount. Those materials date from 2019 and 2022, so confirm current limits.
The patient helpline is 800-808-9580.

Recent Law Changes and the Ballot Fight

Senate Bill 2514, signed July 1, 2025 as Chapter 2025-204, requires the state to revoke the registry registration of patients and caregivers in certain drug-related cases. Read the Office's notice for the exact triggers.

The adult-use amendment needed 880,000 valid signatures and then 60 percent of the vote. State verification reached about 783,000 by the Feb. 1 deadline. A lawsuit followed and the Florida Supreme Court declined to review it. One source says a 2026 retry petition also missed its deadline, which would make 2028 the next realistic try.

Opening a Dispensary in Florida

No window open (Oct. 2026 guide) Regulator: Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use

Florida licenses medical marijuana treatment centers, not retail dispensaries. A September 2026 report says health officials proposed permanent rules that keep a $146,000 non-refundable application fee and accept applications only in five-day windows. The proposal does not itself create a new licensing round. An October 2026 guide says no window is open. Renewal is the real cost: one guide puts the biennial renewal at $1,340,383.11 for renewals due through Dec. 31, 2026, and the formula for later years has not been published.

License	Application Fee	License Fee	Renewal	Notes
Medical marijuana treatment center	$146,000 (non-refundable)	Not stated in our sources	$1,340,383.11 biennial for renewals due through 2026, per one guide	Fees from a news report and a law firm guide. Confirm in Rule 64-4.214 and 64-4.215.

What to Plan For

Applications are accepted only in short windows the Office sets. None was scheduled as of October 2026.
Treatment centers run the full supply chain in Florida, so a license is a cultivation, processing and retail business, not a store license.
License count is unsettled. We found no source for how many new licenses Florida will issue.

Startup Budget Planner

The sourced state fees are filled in. Enter your own quotes for the rest. We do not estimate build-out or inventory because they vary by site and operator.

Treatment center application fee: $146,000
Non-refundable, proposed to continue under permanent rule 64-4.214.

Lease deposit and build-outSecurity and technologyOpening inventoryInsurance and legalWorking capitalLocal permits and fees

Fees are only part of the cost. Federal law still applies to cannabis businesses, so talk to a cannabis attorney and an accountant before you commit money. Fee figures come from the sources below and change, so confirm them with the regulator. Related reading: CannaWize Business Desk, 280E and Schedule III for Cannabis Businesses, Cannabis Banking Costs and the GAO Report, Licensing Lawsuits and State Markets.

Business sources:

How Florida Compares


Arizona	Legal	Active	$150 (card term not stated)	Not stated	Fees disputed
Arkansas	Not legal	Active	$50 per year	1 year	Fees not found
California	Legal	Optional county card	Varies by county	Varies	$1,000 + $2,500 to $96,000
Colorado	Legal	Active	$52 per year	1 year	About $3,120 state + local
Florida	Not legal	Active	$75 per year	1 year	No window open (Oct. 2026 guide)
Georgia	Not legal	Active	$75 from Dec. 5, 2026	Not stated	$5,000 + tiered fees
Illinois	Legal	Active	$50 per year	1 to 3 years	$5,000 + $60,000
Louisiana	Not legal	Active	Not found	Up to 12 months	Limited permits
Massachusetts	Legal	Active	Free registration	Not stated	$1,500 + $10,000
Michigan	Legal	Active	$40 per two years	2 years	$3,000 + $15,000
Missouri	Legal	Active	$28.92 renewal per three years	3 years	Microbusiness lottery, about $1,637
New Jersey	Legal	Active	Free digital, $10 printed	2 years	Conditional route, $1,000 up front
New Mexico	Legal	Active	Not found	Not found	$2,500 per year (reported)
New York	Legal	Active	No state fee	Not stated	$1,000 + $7,000
North Carolina	Not legal	None	No program	Not applicable	No state license
Ohio	Legal	Active	$50 per year	1 year	Capped at 400
Oklahoma	Not legal	Active	$100 per two years	2 years	Moratorium to Aug. 1, 2028
Pennsylvania	Not legal	Active	$50 per year	Up to 1 year	Closed per one 2026 guide
Texas	Not legal	Active	See guide	See guide	See guide
Virginia	Legal, no stores yet	Active	$50 per year	Up to 1 year	Opens Feb. 1, 2027 (draft)

Florida Cannabis Timeline

July 1, 2025SB 2514 (Chapter 2025-204) signed, requiring registry revocations in certain drug-related cases.
Feb. 1, 2026Signature deadline for the Smart & Safe Florida amendment. About 783,000 of 880,000 needed were verified.
Sept. 28, 2026Trulieve signs a master licensing deal with Connected, covered in our Texas and Florida report.
Oct. 6, 2026Rule 64-4.215 on treatment center renewal fees takes effect, per one guide.

Florida Cannabis Bills

Dead SB 1398: Adult-use legalization with home cultivation.
Dead S 0776: Home grow for medical patients.
Dead H 1003 / S 1056: Open container penalties for cannabis and hemp.
Dead Smart & Safe Florida amendment: Adult-use ballot measure that missed the Feb. 1 signature deadline.

See every state in the cannabis bill tracker.

Frequently Asked Questions About Florida Cannabis Laws

Is recreational marijuana legal in Florida?

No. The 2026 adult-use amendment fell short of the signature requirement, and Florida's program is medical only.

How much is a Florida medical marijuana card?

The application fee is $75 for initial and renewal applications. Paying online adds a $2.75 convenience fee.

How long does a Florida card last?

It expires one year after approval. You can submit a renewal application starting 45 days before it expires.

Can Florida patients smoke medical marijuana?

If a physician decides smoking is appropriate. It is not allowed in public or in an indoor workplace, and state guidance caps a 35-day smokable order at 2.5 ounces unless an exception is approved.

Do I have to live in Florida to qualify?

You must be a permanent or seasonal Florida resident.

How much does a Florida treatment center license cost?

The application fee is $146,000 and non-refundable. One guide reports a biennial renewal fee above $1.3 million. No application window was open as of October 2026.