New Florida Law Could Strip Medical Marijuana Access From Patients Facing Drug Charges

A new Florida law is reshaping who can stay in the state’s medical marijuana program, giving health officials authority to suspend—and in some cases permanently revoke—patient and caregiver registrations based on certain drug charges and case outcomes.

The change is tied to Senate Bill 2514, enacted as part of broader health-and-human-services legislation and taking effect July 1, 2025, according to state reporting and industry coverage.

At the center of the controversy is the law’s two-step enforcement framework.

First, the law authorizes the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) to suspend a medical marijuana registry (MMUR) registration when a patient or caregiver is charged with certain drug-law violations, meaning access to legal medical cannabis can be paused before a case is resolved in court.

Second, the law requires revocation of MMUR registration following specific case outcomes involving Florida’s drug statutes. Under OMMU’s guidance on the new law, if a person is convicted of or pleads guilty or nolo contendere (no contest) to certain offenses—including in situations “regardless of adjudication”—the agency says it “must revoke” the registration for qualifying violations occurring on or after July 1, 2025.

The law’s critics argue that the suspension piece is especially troubling because it can function as an immediate cutoff for patients who rely on cannabis to manage serious conditions—even if the underlying charge is later reduced or dismissed. In Southwest Florida, a Gulf Coast News report highlighted concerns from patients and providers who say the policy could remove a key tool for pain, anxiety, or sleep management at the very moment people may be dealing with the stress of a criminal case.

Supporters, including prominent state Republicans quoted in coverage, have framed participation in the medical marijuana system as a regulated privilege that can be limited when someone is accused of violating Florida’s drug laws.

The state has also published an administrative roadmap for what happens when action is taken. OMMU says patients or caregivers will be notified via certified mail and also receive an email through the registry system if their registration is suspended or revoked.

OMMU’s guidance further states that people whose registrations are revoked may seek reinstatement by submitting a notarized attestation that all terms of incarceration, probation, community control, or supervision tied to the offense are complete, along with documentation. If reinstated, the person must then be recertified by a qualified physician and apply again for an MMUR ID card renewal.

In the months since the law took effect, cannabis policy outlets have reported that Florida officials have begun revoking registrations under the new authority, fueling renewed debate over whether the policy improves public safety or undermines patient care.

For patients, attorneys and advocates say the takeaway is simple: a drug charge that might once have been handled entirely in criminal court can now carry a parallel consequence—loss of legal medical marijuana access—through the state’s health registry.