Florida Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions

What conditions qualify for medical marijuana in Florida?

The list is set by statute. Section 381.986(2) of the Florida Statutes says a patient must be diagnosed with at least one of these conditions to qualify:

Florida law lists: cancer; epilepsy; glaucoma; positive HIV status; AIDS; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); ALS; Crohn's disease; Parkinson's disease; multiple sclerosis; conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to those; a terminal condition diagnosed by a physician other than the certifying physician; and chronic nonmalignant pain.

What if my condition is not on the list?

It may still be evaluated. A condition not named in the law can qualify if the physician judges it to be of the same kind or class as, or comparable to, the listed conditions. The physician must send supporting documentation to the state medical board within 14 days.

There is no official state list of comparable conditions. The physician reviews your diagnosis and records and decides case by case, and will tell you plainly if the standard is not met.

How does Florida law define chronic nonmalignant pain?

Narrowly. Section 381.986(1)(c) defines it as "pain that is caused by a qualifying medical condition or that originates from a qualifying medical condition and persists beyond the usual course of that qualifying medical condition."

That means the pain has to trace back to a qualifying condition. Pain on its own, with no qualifying condition behind it, does not fit this definition.

What counts as a terminal condition?

Section 381.986(1)(p) defines a terminal condition as "a progressive disease or medical or surgical condition that causes significant functional impairment, is not considered by a treating physician to be reversible without the administration of life-sustaining procedures, and will result in death within 1 year after diagnosis if the condition runs its normal course."

The terminal diagnosis must come from a physician other than the one who issues the certification.

What does the certification evaluation involve?

Section 381.986(4)(a) lists what a qualified physician must do before issuing a certification. In plain terms, the physician must:

• Examine you and take a full medical history. Before an initial certification, the physician must do an in-person physical exam, meaning the physician is physically in the same room as the patient.
• Diagnose you with at least one qualifying condition and document it.
• Decide whether the likely benefits outweigh the potential health risks for you, and write that down in your chart.
• Determine whether you are pregnant. A physician may not certify marijuana, other than low-THC cannabis, for a patient who is pregnant.
• Review your controlled-substance prescription history in the state prescription drug monitoring database.
• Check the Registry to confirm no other physician holds an active certification for you, since you can have only one at a time.
• Get your signed informed consent on the state's standardized form.

What records should I bring?

Bring whatever shows your diagnosis and history. Specialist notes, test results, imaging reports, hospital discharge summaries and a current medication list are all useful. Each condition page below lists the records that matter most for that diagnosis.

You also need proof of Florida residency for the state card. Adults usually use a Florida driver license or Florida ID card; the full rules are in § 381.986(5)(b).

What happens after the first visit?

If you are certified, the physician enters you in the Medical Marijuana Use Registry (MMUR), run by the Florida Department of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana Use. You then apply for your state ID card through the Registry and pay the state fee.

Your physician must see you again before each new certification. Re-evaluation schedule: at least once every 30 weeks. Telehealth is allowed only for renewals: a physician who already certified the patient after an in-person physical exam may do that patient's later exams and re-evaluations by telehealth.

What if I don't qualify?

If the physician cannot confirm a qualifying condition, or decides the risks outweigh the likely benefits, no certification is issued and nothing is entered in the Registry. The physician will explain why. If records were missing, ask what documentation would be needed for a future evaluation.

Every qualifying condition.