Marijuana plants for sale are displayed at the medical marijuana farmers market at the California Heritage Market in Los Angeles, California July 11, 2014. REUTERS/David McNew
August 4, 2022 - For nearly half a century, "marijuana" has been classified as a Schedule I controlled substance pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Although cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, a total of 41 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have successfully legislated medical marijuana programs, 19 states have adopted recreational cannabis programs and 23 states have decriminalized cannabis entirely.
Among those, Florida enacted the "Medical Use of Marijuana Act" in 2017, which is codified in Florida's statutes, specifically governing the state public health system, and it implements rules for making medicinal marijuana available to qualified state citizens. As of 2022, nearly 3% of Florida's population is recorded on the state's medical marijuana registry.
Florida’s cannabis legislation history
Florida's journey to provide patient access to medicinal marijuana began when the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014 (also referred to as 'Charlotte's Web Act' or 'Act') was enacted. The act provided that terminally ill cancer patients or epilepsy patients would be allowed to consume low-THC cannabis without penalty.
To administer the medicinal cannabis program, the Florida Department of Health established the Office of Compassionate Use and the...
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