****Industry News: Florida Department of Health provides weekly updates on the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU). Find out more here.****
The Florida Market
The Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act 2014 Senate Bill No.1030: Chapter 2014-157 was the state of Florida’s first attempt at approving medical marijuana for patients in need. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that actionable Medical Marijuana laws were put into effect.
Florida Senate Bill No.8-A Chapter 2017-232 provided for continuance of certain entities authorized to dispense cannabis products. It also required the department to establish, maintain, and control a computer seed-to-sale marijuana tracking system, and the background screening of those involved with cannabis businesses, amongst many other rules and regulations.
Recommended Seed to Sale Software
We highly recommend Adilas as a marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, dispensary, distribution, accounting, marketing solution software.
Who oversees the program?
The Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) is partnered with the Florida Health department and is responsible for overseeing the licensing of businesses to cultivate, process, and dispense medical and low THC cannabis. OMMU is also responsible for enforcing the statutes outlined by the health department for the cannabis program.
The state is issuing a limited number of licenses which must cultivate, manufacture and supply product for sales through one of many dispensary/facilities.
Sales Restrictions
Patients who possess a physician’s recommendation may legally obtain medical cannabis provided by state licensed dispensaries.
A qualified physician may not issue a prescription for more than three 70-day supply limits of marijuana. The Department of Health shall quantify by rule a daily dose amount with equivalent dose amounts for each allowable form of marijuana dispensed by a medical marijuana treatment center.
In 2018, law enacted by the legislature barring the inhalation of herbal forms of medical cannabis was amended by SB 182. The measure permits qualified patients to possess up to four ounces of herbal cannabis if a recommending physician opines “that the benefits of smoking marijuana for medical use outweigh the risks for the qualified patient.”
Emergency rules enacted by the Department of Health in 2020 permit the sales of cannabis-infused edible products by licensed retailers.
