Key Takeaways

• Law. All rulemaking notices, notices of hearings and notices of workshops can be found in the Department of State Florida Administrative Register (FAR). Florida Administrative Code Chapter 64-4. Florida Statutes § 381.986.
• Licenses. Licensed medical marijuana treatment centers (MMTCs) are vertically integrated and are the only businesses in Florida authorized to dispense medical marijuana and low-THC cannabis to qualified patients and caregivers.
• Products. In March 2019, Florida legalized smokable medical cannabis, and in August 2020, it legalized medical cannabis edibles. Edibles may not contain more than 200 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol, and a single serving portion of an edible may not exceed 10 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol. Edibles may have a potency variance of no greater than 15 percent. Other forms of cannabis have their own limits, according to the state’s 64ER22-8 2023 Dosing and Supply Limits for Medical Marijuana.
• Market. Florida remains the nation’s largest medical-only cannabis market, though sales have declined since reaching an all-time peak of $2.185 billion in 2023. Revenue contracted to $1.8 billion in 2024 and $1.65 billion in 2025 amid intense price competition and continued medical-only restrictions.

Florida Cannabis Market Legislation

Florida voters have approved cannabis for medical use on November 8, 2016 and Florida became the first state in the South with a full-scale medical cannabis program. The new amendment states that patients with illnesses of the “same kind or class as or comparable to” serious illnesses, such as cancer, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy would be eligible to access medical marijuana.

Under a 2014 law that legalized a limited form of medical cannabis, patient don’t have access to medical cannabis until they’ve been seeing their doctor for at least three months.

In 2016, Florida started allowing existing CBD operators to sell full-strength THC products to terminally ill patients. And as of January 2017 – after voters passed Amendment 2 – anyone with a qualifying medical cannabis condition is permitted to purchase full-strength THC products.

With new amendment it is available to open Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTC). These entities can cultivate, process and distribute medical cannabis and related products. Each medical cannabis treatment center must receive authorization at three stages, (1) cultivation authorization, (2) processing authorization, and (3) dispensing authorization, prior to dispensing low-THC or medical cannabis.

The new law, approved during a June (2017) special session, allows the state’s medical-marijuana operators to sell edible products – currently banned in Florida – to qualified patients, so long as the products aren’t geared toward children. The law is also requiring health officials to issue 10 new “medical marijuana treatment center” licenses. More licenses must be issued once the number of patients in a statewide registry reaches 100,000.

How to Start a Cannabis Business in Florida?

Florida’s medical-marijuana patient database hit the 100,576 mark on April 20, 2018, according to a weekly update issued by the state Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use.

In March 2019, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill to repeal a ban on smokable medical cannabis. On August 20, 2020 the Florida Department of Health officially released the production standards for THC-infused cannabis edibles.

State health officials began accepting applications for 22 new medical marijuana licenses on April 24, 2023, and 74 applicants initially applied for MMTC permits. On November 26, 2024, the state’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use released a list of 22 companies that had received “letters of intent to approve” their license applications.

Florida Cannabis Market: Stats and Perspectives

MMTCs were originally only able to open and operate 25 dispensaries per license. But in 2020, all limits were removed. There are currently 25 approved MMTC.

The number of medical cannabis dispensaries in Florida has risen from 24 in 2017 to 738 in 2025, while the number of active patients has jumped from 56,537 to around 930,000.

Florida remains the nation’s largest medical-only cannabis market, though sales have declined since reaching an all-time peak of $2.185 billion in 2023. Revenue contracted to $1.8 billion in 2024 and $1.65 billion in 2025 amid intense price competition and continued medical-only restrictions following the failure of Amendment 3 in November 2024.

As of February 2026, the program supports 932,747 qualified patients, 742 licensed dispensaries, and approximately 2,300 recommending physicians. Despite growing patient volume and product throughput, Florida’s share of the U.S. legal cannabis market has softened to 5%–6%, down from 7% in 2023, as new adult-use states have expanded.

Steps Towards Adult-Use Legalization

Florida’s recreational cannabis market remains limited to medical use following the November 2024 failure of Amendment 3, which garnered approximately 56% voter approval – falling short of the state’s 60% constitutional threshold required for passage. Smart & Safe Florida, the coalition behind the 2024 effort, subsequently launched a renewed petition drive for a 2026 ballot initiative that would have permitted adults 21+ to possess and purchase cannabis while prohibiting child-appealing packaging and public consumption. Despite collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures, the campaign failed to meet the state’s validity requirements after officials invalidated a significant portion of submissions – partly due to a 2024 law restricting nonresident petition circulators. The Florida Supreme Court dismissed the group’s appeal on February 4, 2026, officially ending the 2026 ballot effort.

The next realistic opportunity for a ballot measure would be the 2028 election cycle, assuming a new petition drive launches and meets all validity requirements. For business planning purposes, Florida should be treated as a medical-only market through at least 2027.

Florida Cannabis Market Infographics

Florida Hemp Market