Florida Bill to Extend Medical Marijuana Certifications, Double Supply Authorization, and Lengthen Card Renewals Scheduled for Public Hearing
- Senate Bill 1032 proposes easing medical marijuana requirements by allowing physicians to authorize up to twice the standard 35-day supply per certification and extending patient re-evaluation timelines, reducing office visits for stable patients.
- The bill would extend the validity of medical marijuana ID cards from one year to two years, lowering costs and administrative burdens for patients and caregivers.
- It removes the need for patients to provide a Social Security number for registry enrollment, allowing alternative identification methods to address privacy concerns and streamline registration.
- SB 1032 is scheduled for a public hearing on February 11 before the Senate Health Policy Committee, where lawmakers will review and consider advancing the proposal.
A proposal that would significantly ease several ongoing requirements for Florida’s medical marijuana patients and physicians is scheduled for a public hearing on February 11 before the Senate Health Policy Committee. Senate Bill 1032, filed by State Senator Alexis Calatayud (R), would make multiple changes to how physician certifications, supply limits and patient identification renewals are handled under Florida’s medical marijuana program.
Under current Florida law, physicians are limited in how many marijuana supply periods they can authorize within a single certification, and patients must return for frequent re-evaluations to remain eligible for the program. SB 1032 would allow doctors to authorize up to twice the standard 35-day marijuana supply amount within a single certification, effectively allowing coverage for around 70 days at a time, and would stretch out the required re-evaluation timeline for existing patients. In practical terms, this means fewer mandatory office visits for people with stable, long-term qualifying conditions.
The bill also reduces how often patients and caregivers must renew their medical marijuana identification cards. Rather than going through the renewal process every year, cards would be valid for two years. That change would reduce both costs and paperwork for patients, many of whom currently have to schedule appointments and pay fees simply to maintain active status in the registry.
Another notable change removes the requirement that patients provide a Social Security number to be entered into Florida’s medical marijuana use registry. Instead, alternative forms of identification could be used, which may ease privacy concerns for some patients and simplify the registration process for others.
The bill further clarifies that physicians may certify up to twice the standard 35-day marijuana supply amount within a single certification period, effectively allowing patients to obtain a larger authorized supply without needing additional visits or paperwork.
SB 1032 was placed on the Senate Health Policy Committee agenda for February 11 at 3:00 p.m., where lawmakers will take public testimony and consider whether to advance the proposal further in the legislative process.