With cannabis still being federally illegal, there are many Florida medical marijuanas card rules patients need to follow to keep their card. Failure to obey these rules might result in fines, your medical marijuana card is revoked, and maybe jail time. Some rules are clear and easy to follow while some are not so clear. Do note all the information provided in this blog post is by and from community members and patients we are not legal representatives and are not providing any legal advice. These Florida medical marijuana card rules are always changing and some take Florida court actions to change. We provide the information as it is current and we will try our best to change it if any new laws or information is released concerning the topic. If you are interested in becoming a Florida medical marijuana patient click here for more information.
Basic Florida Medical Marijuanas Card Rules
Here are some basic florida medical marijuan card rules you most lickly heard of and know:
- It is illegal to share your medical marijuana with another patient even if they are also in the Medical Marijuana Use Registry. This is is on the box of every item we purchase and is the most known of the Florida medical marijuanas card rules. Patients are not allowed to share or give anyone their prescribed medical marijuana. The state says this is to prevent unlawful selling of medical marijuana to none patients and to make sure patients are only buying within their prescription. If caught breaking this rule you will get your card revoked and might be facing jail time.
- Florida Medical Marijuana Laws prohibit medicating with high-THC medicine while operating a vehicle, boat, aircraft, etc. It is lawful to use low-THC medicine in these situations. Like other prescription drugs, it is illegal to operate any kind of vehicle under the influence of medical marijuana. That makes sense especially for new patients who are new to the effects of THC. The issue is there is no on-scene test or breathalyzer for being “high”. This means if pulled over and the officer has suspension of you being medicated with marijuana they might have the right to arrest you for DUI or driving under the influence. They might then make you take blood work to show THC in your system. This is a long and complicated manner and recommends discussing with an attorney before taking any actions. If caught driving under the influence of medical marijuana you can be seeing a long trial with fines and maybe damage to your record.
- Florida Medical Marijuana Laws prohibit you to use your high-THC medication in public or on public transportation. It is still legal to possess in public, just not use in public. It is lawful to medicate with low-THC medicine in public. It would be wise to avoid any federal buildings (courthouse, tax collector/DMV) and any establishments that receive federal funding (schools, community hospitals, etc). The only place you can use your medical marijuana is on private property. It is illegal to smoke marijuana anywhere outside or in a public area. The punishment for breaking this law might be a fine or confiscation of your product or might be harsher depending on the situation if you are near a school or other federal property.
- All Medical Marijuana products must have proper tags with patient names and doctor information. This is more due if stopped and asked by police. You have to be able to prove that this product was purchased and prescribed by a medical physician in Florida. That is why many dispensaries give extra sticky stickers with purchases so you can put them on your own devices. We believe this law is not enforced if you are within your own private property so you can put the products in different jars or containers. but should still have the proper sticker on it. The punishment can be a fine to revoking your card.
Florida Medical Marijuanas Card Rules: Out Of State Cards
At the time of writing, Florida dispensaries do not recognize and will not sell to you with an out-of-state medical marijuana card. Even though the majority of United States states have some kind of medical marijuana program. You can still go to another state that accepts out-of-state cards like California or Nevada and use your Florida medical marijuana card.
Florida Medical Marijuanas Card Rules: Flying and Driving
For drivers to avoid being pulled over and accused of driving under the influence have all medical marijuana products out of the driver’s reach and be sealed and labeled correctly will help with de-escalating the situation. It is legal to drive freely within Florida with your Florida medical marijuana card and products how else do they expect us to drive to the dispensary and purchase products? But driving out of the state borders with medical marijuana can become a problem and you then become subject to the laws and regulations of that state. Staying safe on the road and driving responsibly is the best way to avoid problems.
Flying with medical marijuana is a totally different discussion. It is still federally illegal to possess marijuana and flying with it is no exemption. Does this mean the TSA is actively looking and stopping patients from bringing their medication? No in fact the TSA released this statement on Instagram “Let us be blunt. TSA officers DO NOT search for marijuana or other illegal drugs. Our screening procedures are focused on security and detecting potential threats. But in the event a substance appears to be marijuana or a cannabis-infused product, we’re required by federal law to notify law enforcement. This includes items that are used for medicinal purposes.”. Read more about TSA guidelines here. Their main goal is national security but will report any unlawful drugs they find. So keeping it lowkey and only bring small amounts and not so smelly products is the best bet. This means try to avoid bring flower or large amounts of products with you.
Florida Medical Marijuanas Card Rules: Refilling Third Party Cartridges
A popular trend and way to save money when buying medical marijuana are to buy syringes and fill your own vape cartridges. While this is great and is cost-effective is might be somewhat illegal. Patients have the right to alter or use their medication in any way they want but they are not supposed to take them out of their private home after. This is why it’s legal to make homemade edibles but they should not leave you home. This goes the same with putting legally purchased distillate into a third-party cartridge. The product has technically been altered and is no longer in its original packing. With vapes we recommend keeping the tag that come with the syringe to the new vape cart to prove what is within the third-party cartridges is legal and was prescribed. This goes back to the Florida medical Marijuanas card rule of having the product tagged with patient information.
Florida Medical Marijuanas Card Rules: Purchasing A Firearm
This is where the water becomes very murky. This is one of the biggest asked and debated topics in Florida medical marijuanas card rules We will present the facts and start a discussion from there. When purchasing a firearm in Florida you need to fill out an ATF Form 4478 which asks the question: “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance? Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.” Answering yes to this question will not make you ineligible to buy a firearm and lying on this application is a federal crime. This means your only option to buy a firearm in Florida is through private purchase. What about people who have firearms before getting a medical marijuana card? the ATF says it boils down to the situation and enforcement. But if you are caught being irresponsible with the firearm and an active medical marijuana card you might be facing hefty fines and felonies. This topic is very detailed and actively being debated in the Florida courts. Again we want to make this very clear that we are not providing any legal advice seek legal advice if thinking about purchasing a firearm. Learn more at Florida Cares linked here.