Getting your card

How to get your Florida medical cannabis card

To buy medical cannabis in Florida, you need a Medical Marijuana Use Registry identification card from the state's Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU). Here are the steps, what it costs, how to renew it, and how much you may buy, in plain words. This is general information, not legal or medical advice; the OMMU is the official source, and its patient help line is 800-808-9580.

Who qualifies

You must be a permanent or seasonal Florida resident, and a qualified physician (one who has completed the state's required course) must diagnose you with at least one of these qualifying medical conditions:

• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• HIV or AIDS
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Crohn's disease
• Parkinson's disease
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• A medical condition of the same kind or class as, or comparable to, those above
• A terminal condition, diagnosed by a physician other than the one issuing your certification
• Chronic nonmalignant pain caused by, or that originates from, a qualifying condition and lasts beyond its usual course

A patient under 18 needs a second physician to agree, and a parent or legal guardian's written consent for the card. A physician may not certify a pregnant patient for anything but low-THC cannabis.

The four steps

1. See a qualified physician. Your first visit must be an in-person physical examination. The physician diagnoses your condition, decides whether medical cannabis is likely to help more than it could harm, and sets the forms and amounts you may get. The OMMU keeps a list of qualified physicians.
2. Get entered in the Medical Marijuana Use Registry. Your physician enters you. Give the office your current email address: the OMMU then sends you two emails, one with your username and one with a temporary password.
3. Apply for your card. Log in to the Medical Marijuana Use Registry and apply online, or apply by mail, with the $75 fee. You need a photo (your Florida driver license or ID card photo, or a passport-type color photo taken within the last 90 days), proof of Florida residency (a Florida driver license or ID card; a seasonal resident can send two documents showing a Florida address), and your signature. The Registry is linked to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV): use your Florida driver license or ID card, and your photo and proof of residency are approved automatically from its records, which can cut the wait a great deal. Otherwise, online applications take an average of 10 business days to approve; allow 3 to 5 more days by mail. You can check its status in the Registry or by calling 800-808-9580.
4. Fill your order at an MMTC. Once your card is approved, any licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MMTC) can fill the order your physician placed, in store or by delivery. MMTCs are the only legal place to buy. Compare their menus, prices and lab reports on the Product Index, or find one near you under MMTCs.

What it costs

• The card: $75 to apply, and $75 again each year to renew.
• A lost or stolen card: a $15 replacement fee.
• Your medicine: see what your daily amount costs a month on the cost calculator.

Renewing your card

• The card must be renewed every year. Send the renewal application and the $75 fee 45 days before it expires, online or by mail.
• Your certification is separate: your physician must see you at least once every 30 weeks before issuing a new one. After your first in-person examination, these visits may be by telehealth.
• Keep an order open. Since 27 July 2026, the Registry will not take a card application, first or renewal, unless you have a current or scheduled certification with open orders. Book your physician visit before you renew.

How much you may buy

Your physician's certification sets your forms and daily amount, within the state's daily dose limits. One certification can cover up to three 70-day supplies. In any case:

• An MMTC may dispense no more than a 70-day supply in any 70-day period.
• Flower for smoking: no more than a 35-day supply in any 35 days, and a 35-day supply may not be more than 2.5 ounces unless the state approves an exception. You may have no more than 4 ounces of smokable flower at a time.
• You may not have more than a 70-day supply at a time, and everything you buy must stay in its original packaging.

What your certification allows is in the Medical Marijuana Use Registry. New patients explains how each form differs and how to start low.

Caregivers

A patient may name a caregiver to buy and help with their medical cannabis. A caregiver must be 21 or older and a Florida resident, agree in writing to help, complete the state's caregiver course (renewed every two years), and pass a background screening unless the patient is a close relative. Florida law defines a close relative as a spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent, child, or grandchild, whether related by whole or half blood, by marriage, or by adoption. A caregiver applies for a card of their own, with the same $75 fee each year, and usually helps one patient; a patient usually has one caregiver, with exceptions such as parents of a minor and hospice patients.

Sources, read 2 November 2026: s. 381.986, Florida Statutes (qualifying conditions, the physician's examination and certification, caregivers, the card, and the supply limits); the Office of Medical Marijuana Use's Patients page (the four steps), Caregiver FAQ (close relatives) and General FAQ (the $75 and $15 fees, processing time, renewal timing, and the open-order rule). Rules change: check the OMMU before you apply.