Do You Really Need A Medical Marijuana Card In Florida?

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT? I get asked this question all the time. Do you really need a medical marijuana card in Florida? The best answer I can give is that although all medical marijuana patients may not feel it is of the highest necessity……when the time comes that you do need it, you will be really glad you have it! It is still illegal at a federal and state level to use recreational cannabis in Florida. With that being said, medical cannabis has been allowed since 2017 when voters came together to pass Senate Bill 8-A. Since Senate Bill 182 was signed by Govenor DeSantis and became law on March 18th 2019, smoking the flower of marijuana became an allowable utilization method if approved by a qualified medical marijuana physician. Per state law Fl rule 64-4.011, all patients and caregivers are required to have a Medical Marijuana Use Registry identification card. The state does not look kindly to those who claim they utilize marijuana for medical purposes, but are not medical marijuana patients as they have not gone thru the process of seeing a qualified doctor, getting put into the OMMU registry, getting a medical marijuana card or purchasing from a licensed marijuana treatment center (MMTC). Consequences for purchasing marijuana on the black market can fluctuate, but are often much more extreme then FL residents believe they should be. At the very least it is an expensive and hard lesson to learn. WHAT BENEFITS DOES IT HAVE? Besides the legal ramifications of using and purchasing marijuana without a state ID card, their are safety benefits of using a licensed and regulated MMTC. This is especially the case if patients are not purchasing the whole flower, but rather a cartridge to vaporize or bottled tincture. The only way to truly know what ingredients are in these blends is to have them tested by a laboratory, which most of those who participate in black market sales do not see the need in doing. For those who truly are in search for the medicinal properties of MMJ, the treatment centers are going to have MANY different strains, specific compound ratios and consumption options that will affect everyone differently and offer a much greater flexibility to treat specific conditions then available anywhere else. For more information on different methods of use click here. I personally believe that legal access to medical marijuana will increase for patients in need and prices should come down as the market matures. I would advise everyone who is seeking marijuana for medical purposes to do it the right way and get legal. Shop around at both different doctors and marijuana treatment centers to find the best option the works for you, but don’t try to bypass the system altogether because in the end it will not be worth the headache! Conveniently located in Naples Florida, Compassionate Healthcare of Florida offers easy access to medical marijuana certifications guaranteed. All methods of usage are included and we never require follow-up visits prior to the state mandated rules, unless requested by our patients. To read about what to do after you have been put into the Florida Registry, click here.