Not all Floridians with legal medical marijuana cards may retain their right to buy cannabis. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that cancels state cannabis registrations of those who enter pleas or are found guilty of criminal drug charges.
The bill, which is a broad budget bill that covers health-related matters like cancer research and dentistry loans, states that any patient or caregiver with a legal marijuana card would have their registration immediately suspended upon being charged with a state drug crime.
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The suspension would remain in place until the criminal case reaches a conclusion. At the disposition of the case, Department of Health (DOH) officials would have the authority to either reinstate the registration, extend the suspension, or revoke it entirely.
A person’s registration would be revoked for drug crimes of production and distribution. It does not include revocations of registrations for people who purchased drugs without intent to sell, including more than 10 grams of marijuana for their own use.
However, the bill is not clear as to whether this would impact only future criminal cases or whether the DOH will be reviewing records of existing registrations of those with prior drug convictions.
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The bill also includes a process for patients and caregivers to request that their registrations be reinstated, which would involve submitting a new application.
However, despite these developments, advocates in Florida are still pushing for broader cannabis laws. The campaign Smart & Safe Florida has collected over 300,000 signatures to put an adult-use marijuana legalization measure on the 2026 state ballot.
As cannabis laws in Florida continue to shift, the future of marijuana reform in the Sunshine State looks unclear.