On June 16, 2014, Florida became the 22nd state to legalize access to medical marijuana when Governor Rick Scott signed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014. Patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, chronic seizures, or muscle spasms could use low-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabis products prescribed by a licensed doctor. Doctors and patients had to register on the Compassionate Use Registry, an online database maintained by the Florida Department of Health. The governor also signed Senate Bill 1700, to protect the privacy of doctors prescribing low-THC marijuana and their patients.
The Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, Amendment 2 was placed on the ballot in November, 2014, but failed to win the required 60% majority of votes. The publicity surrounding this defeat helped to change the public attitude towards medical marijuana.