One of the provisions in a new Republican-led Florida law aims at increasing access to medical marijuana. This includes adding additional qualifying conditions and waiving fees to veterans. Doctors can also issue recommendations using telehealth.
Joe Gruters introduced SB 552, a measure to legalize medical cannabis, on Friday. It would be possible to get medical cannabis for people who have been prescribed opioid drugs that are listed in Schedule II.
In addition, the legislation requires that Florida’s Department of Health create procedures for allowing medical marijuana patients who have registered with other states to buy marijuana in Florida dispensaries. To qualify individuals, officials would issue “medical cannabis use registry identification card” to one patient.
A second change that was proposed in the bill is the waiver of registration fees and renewals for program participants who had been honorably released from the U.S. Armed Forces.
Physicians can now recommend higher amounts of marijuana, and patients will no longer need to see a doctor as often.
Instead of recommending medical marijuana in person, doctors could do so via a video-conference with patients. Telehealth is only available for renewals, and initial certifications are handled by a doctor in person.
Another change to the bill’s 10-pages would prohibit dispensaries operating in the same land parcel as an oil station, or anywhere motor fuel was sold.
Also last week, Gruters reintroduced a proposal that would allow medical marijuana patients in the state to grow up to two cannabis plants at home—this time without separate provisions he had included in prior legislation that would have also cracked down on hemp-derived cannabinoids in the state.
The bill SB 456 would allow cannabis patients registered with the state who are 21 years old and older to have up to 2 plants grown for personal purposes, provided they obtain and apply for a state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services certificate.
This department will need to develop procedures for “the issuance, renewals, suspensions, replacements, surrenders, revocations of these certificates and rules governing the inspection and registration each cannabis plant.”
Rental applicants would have to present documentation to demonstrate that the landlord is in agreement with cannabis cultivation on their property.
Moreover, the cultivation must be done “in a locked, enclosed space” to keep out unauthorized people and those younger than 21.
Gruters, a former chair of the Florida Republican Party, was a proponent of the backed legalization measure Amendment 3 last November—which would You can also check out our other blog posts. have legalized home cultivation—appearing in an ad alongside Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) to argue that the reform would be “good for Florida” despite strong pushback from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Gruters and Kim Rivers—the CEO of Trulieve, a medical marijuana company that provided the bulk of funding for Amendment 3—also met with Trump ahead of his endorsement of the constitutional amendment, as well as federal rescheduling and industry banking access.
The campaign for legalizing marijuana in Florida, which failed on the ballot a few months ago, has now filed an updated version of the initiative in hope that they will have a chance to win a second round in 2026.
Smart & Safe Florida’s 2024 measure did receive a majority of the vote in November, but it fell short of a steep 60 percent threshold to pass constitutional amendments under state law.
Separately, lawmakers in Florida this session have also introduced bills that would protect medical marijuana patients from discrimination in government jobs and prevent state courts from restricting certain parental rights based solely on a person’s status as a qualified cannabis patient.
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Side Pocket Images. Photo by Chris Wallis.