Florida Senate Committee to Vote Feb. 18 on Bill Tightening Low-THC Marijuana Rules and Expanding Buffer Zones for Dispensaries

Florida State Capitol.

Florida’s Senate Appropriations Committee is preparing to vote on a bill that would tighten rules around low-THC marijuana products and where medical marijuana businesses can operate. The committee has scheduled Senate Bill 902 for a vote on February 18 at 8:30 a.m., after the measure sailed through the Health Policy Committee on Wednesday in an 11 to 0 vote. Filed by Senator Garcia for the Committee on Health Policy, the bill rewrites the state’s definition of “low-THC cannabis.” Instead of focusing on the plant itself, the new language zeroes in on products dispensed by medical marijuana treatment centers. To qualify as low-THC, a product would need to contain no more than 0.8% THC and at least 2% cannabidiol by weight. Edibles are specifically carved out, so they would no longer fall under the low-THC definition in this part of state law.

Under the proposal, qualified physicians and medical directors would have to complete a two-hour course and exam through the Florida Medical Association or Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, with the certification renewed every two years rather than tied to each individual license renewal.

The bill would expand Florida’s current 500-foot school buffer to also cover parks, child care centers and early learning facilities for any new medical marijuana cultivation, processing or dispensing site. Existing locations that are already approved before July 1, 2026, could stay put even if they fall inside those zones, and cities and counties would still be able to sign off on new facilities within 500 feet of those places if, after a public review, they decide the location works for the neighborhood.