Petition: Florida Medical Marijuana Reciprocity Laws

Medical Marijuana Reciprocity Petition
Learn about the petition pushing for medical marijuana reciprocity laws in Florida, aiming to allow patients from other states to access medical cannabis during their visits. The petition highlights cases like a veteran facing legal issues for possessing medical cannabis in Florida despite being a legitimate patient in his home state. It urges Florida to adopt reciprocity laws similar to states like Arkansas and Oklahoma, recognizing the validity of medical cannabis treatment for visiting patients. Discover the efforts to enhance accessibility to medical marijuana for patients across state borders at CannaMD.
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Click to Sign Petition

Cancer symptoms don’t stop when patients cross state lines. Children with epilepsy don’t quit having seizures because they’re on vacation. And the millions of Americans who visit Florida each year don’t stop needing medication simply because they take a picture with Mickey Mouse.

Yet, patients with a medical marijuana card authorized by another state are currently prohibited from using medical marijuana while visiting Florida – one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

In 2017, Florida legislators acknowledged the wealth of peer-reviewed scientific literature supporting the use of medical cannabis through statewide legalization. As one of Florida’s largest networks of medical marijuana physicians, CannaMD now encourages state legislators to take the next step and extend this access to visiting patients who have legally qualified for medical marijuana treatment in their home state.

Click to Sign Petition

Problem In Practice

Disabled, Purple Heart veteran, Sean Worsley, is currently facing five years in prison for possessing medical cannabis during a drive through Alabama, even though he was an authorized patient in his home state of Arizona (which, ironically, allows visiting patients with a medical card issued by their home state to possess or use marijuana). CannaMD encourages Florida legislators to advance our state’s role as a leader in medical cannabis care and implement reciprocity laws so that patients visiting Florida avoid the same fate.

Precedents In Place

Several states, including Arkansas and Oklahoma, already exercise medical marijuana reciprocity laws.

As Florida doesn’t require patients to discontinue antidepressant, pain, or other epileptic medications while visiting, we petition legislators to take the final step in recognizing the validity of medical cannabis treatment and allow patients who legally qualify for medical marijuana in other states to continue using their medication in Florida.

Petition Details

While marijuana’s Schedule I status prevents its transport across state lines, we urge Florida legislators to allow patients who legally qualify in their home state to receive the same rights and benefits as Florida medical marijuana cardholders: entitling out-of-state cardholders to legally purchase medical marijuana products from licensed treatment centers and use said products under the same guidelines governing Florida patients.

Click to Sign Petition

Prioritizing Patients

As a state, Florida either acknowledges marijuana’s validity as a medically useful treatment or it doesn’t. To legalize use by certain patients, but restrict others – who have demonstrated equal justification for medical use – is a contradiction to the position established by existing Florida legislation. CannaMD strongly urges state leadership to prioritize patients, and extend Florida’s reputation as a leader in medical cannabis care, by implementing medical marijuana reciprocity laws for patients visiting from other states.

We respectfully recognize the bureaucratic and logistical complications involved, and thank all those willing to commit the hard work necessary to protect patients from a medically unjust ultimatum.

MORE INFORMATION

To share the petition, please use this link: Change.org/CannaMD-Florida-Marijuana-Laws

To learn more about Florida’s current regulations, please see: What Are Florida’s Medical Marijuana Laws?

Updated: May 29, 2024

Article Written By:

Jessica Walters

Jessica Walters serves as CannaMD's Chief Medical Researcher. Prior to her time at CannaMD, Jessica earned her degree from Harvard where she focused on neuropsychology. Her personal research interests include psychosocial interventions for obesity, depression, and generalized anxiety disorders.

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