These Medical Marijuana cards let you buy for kids or others
A Medical Marijuana Card isn't the only way to purchase legal marijuana in Florida.
If you have children under 18 who are eligible for medical marijuana or if you care for someone eligible in a medical capacity, you can apply to become a Medical Marijuana Caregiver for them. This allows you to buy, possess, transport and administer marijuana to a qualified medical marijuana patient.
The Medical Marijuana Caregiver ID Card is identical to a standard Medical Marijuana Card but it has "CAREGIVER" in red across the bottom of your picture and the specific patient's name on the front under yours. With this card, you may visit or order from dispensaries and buy marijuana for the person in your charge. The card does not allow you to buy or use marijuana yourself.
Here's how to get one.
Who can be a Medical Marijuana Caregiver in Florida?
According to the state's Department of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU), a caregiver must:
- Be 21 years of age or older and a Florida resident.
- Agree in writing to help with the qualified patient’s use of medical marijuana.
- Be registered in the Medical Marijuana Use Registry as a caregiver for only one qualified patient, unless otherwise permitted.
- Successfully complete a caregiver certification course developed and administered by DOH. This must be renewed every two years.
- Pass a level 2 background screening at your own cost, unless the patient is a close relative of the caregiver.
- Purchase or give marijuana for medical use to the qualified patient if the qualified patient is under 18 years of age. The minor qualified patient may not purchase marijuana.
You cannot be a caregiver if:
- You are a qualified physician.
- You work for or have an economic interest in a medical marijuana treatment center or testing lab.
- You're being paid for any marijuana-related services other than actual expenses.
- You have an arrest awaiting final disposition for, have been found guilty of, regardless of adjudication, or have entered a plea of nolo contendere or guilty to a wide range of crimes and infractions.
How do you get a Medical Marijuana Caregiver ID Card in Florida?
It isn't difficult if you qualify, but there are a few extra steps compared to the regular Medical Marijuana card.
- Step 1: Ask the patient's qualified physician to add you as a caregiver for the patient. You'll get an email from the state with login credentials.
- Step 2: Log into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry (MMUR) and add your information (name, proof of residency, legal ID photo) and payment. You will need to complete a free Caregiver Certification Course which will need to be renewed every two years.
- Step 3: Provide proof that you have successfully passed a level 2 background screening, unless the patient is a close relative. Florida statutes define a "close relative" as a spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent, child, or grandchild, whether related by whole or half blood, by marriage, or by adoption.” Background screenings tend to run between $60 to $85, according to OMMU.
Approval normally takes about 10 business days, although applications for caregiver status if you are not a close relative to the patient will take longer.
What can I do with a Medical Marijuana Caregiver card in Florida?
Caregivers may transport patients to marijuana dispensaries, go inside with them and assist with the transaction, purchase and transport it if the patient is unable to, and prepare marijuana for the patient's use.
Caregivers are required for patients under 18 years of age, who may not buy marijuana even if qualified for a card.
How much is a Medical Marijuana Caregiver card in Florida?
$75. You'll be charged again every time you renew.
If you are required to get a background screening there will be an annual charge of $6 to retain your fingerprints in the Applicant Fingerprint Retention and Notification Program (AFRNP), but this is waived for the first year.
Can a patient have more than one caregiver? Can a caregiver have more than one patient?
According to the OMMU, a patient may only have one caregiver unless the patient is a minor or has an intellectual or developmental disability that prevents the patient from being able to protect or care for himself or herself without help or supervision, and then the parents or legal guardians may be caregivers.
Exceptions are also made if the patient is in a hospice program or participating in a research program under certain conditions.
Caregivers may only be designated for one patient each unless they are the parent or legal guardian of more than one qualified minor or person with an intellectual or developmental disability as described above, if they work at a hospice and have been requested by multiple patients there, or if all of the qualified patients the caregiver has agreed to assist are participating in a research program.
How many medical marijuana dispensaries are in Florida? How do I find one near me?
As of March 2024, the state's Department of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana Use lists 625 licensed dispensaries in Florida.
