3e:null 3f:["$","title",null,{"children":"The State of Cannabis in Florida | Nicole Designs Data | Observable"}] 45:T791,## Background
### A long road to medical cannabis legalization
In March, 2009, People United for Medical Marijuana, a political action committee, proposed a constitutional amendment allowing for the cultivation, purchase, possession and use of medical cannabis to treat certain medical conditions when recommended by a licensed physician. This proposal appeared on the ballot on November 4, 2014, and—with the support of 57.62% of voters—failed to receive the 60% supermajority required for passage of a state constitutional amendment.

On June 16, 2014, then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who is now a U.S. senator from Florida, signed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014 into law. Though very limited in scope, it was a start towards full adult-use legalization in Florida. This law allowed patients with certain medical conditions to legally purchase and consume low-THC cannabis oil, or cannabidiol (CBD).

On **November 8, 2016**, over **71% of Florida voters** voted in favor of amending the Florida constitution to allow individuals with certain medical conditions to use cannabis under the supervision of a licensed physician. The Amendment language was similar to the 2014 measure, but more specific and clearly worded.

The 2014 and 2016 ballot initiatives were possible because Florida is one of eighteen U.S. states which allow citizens to initiate a state constitutional amendment. Proponents of a ballot initiative collect petition signatures from a certain minimum number of registered voters in a state.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for medical cannabis after the passage of the 2016 measure, also known as **Amendment 2**. Various legal challenges—including Senate Bill 182, questioning the constitutionality of cannabis specifically in a form for smoking—held up the newly legal medical cannabis from being available to patients until 2019. 46:[{"id":"bf66c5da571f1b4af01edfd5d7b07287b053fd0481cb0999ee23981bae4d4a075a3a9c1680df27d95f78ad43cb99054ecb91f5d9c1a19b6643eb2176cedb99cf","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/bf66c5da571f1b4af01edfd5d7b07287b053fd0481cb0999ee23981bae4d4a075a3a9c1680df27d95f78ad43cb99054ecb91f5d9c1a19b6643eb2176cedb99cf","name":"ommu.csv","type":"text/csv","lastModified":1713368471073.692,"size":924}] 43:{"id":"c7ae56a690edec63","slug":null,"title":"The State of Cannabis in Florida","thumbnail":"b79fd843df99848880a56fc214caee892bd41e9c9cdfbbd626f914122c0b77d3","access_level":"public","create_time":"$D2024-04-17T15:38:32.457Z","update_time":"$D2025-10-21T19:37:58.155Z","view_time":null,"first_public_time":"$D2024-04-17T16:12:59.212Z","has_unpublished_edits":null,"fork":false,"stars":1,"starred":false,"owner":{"type":"team","id":"d103af2824e69b4c","login":"nicoledesignsdata","name":"Nicole Designs Data","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/d1cbccc1b93a828a17856f97b04fa2dd8bbefebff0b23550a07ad419a80b758f","tier":"starter_2024","bio":"","following":false},"version":748,"publish_version":null,"role":null,"authored":false,"authors":[{"type":"individual","id":"16ca2b2ddb06adec","login":"nicolelily","name":"Nicole Lillian Mark","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/13ae6eb1e526671bc80a343de7594613b8919a924304099b6bb8c9240f1bbf35","tier":null,"bio":"Principal, Nicole Designs Data LLC | Founder, U.S. Breed-Specific Legislation Database Project","following":false}],"members":[{"type":"individual","id":"16ca2b2ddb06adec","login":"nicolelily","name":"Nicole Lillian Mark","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/13ae6eb1e526671bc80a343de7594613b8919a924304099b6bb8c9240f1bbf35","tier":null,"role":"editor"},{"type":"team","id":"d103af2824e69b4c","login":"nicoledesignsdata","name":"Nicole Designs Data","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/d1cbccc1b93a828a17856f97b04fa2dd8bbefebff0b23550a07ad419a80b758f","tier":"starter_2024","role":"viewer"}],"comments":[],"custom_thumbnail":false,"trashed":false,"lapsed":null,"subscribed":null,"forks":0,"collection":null,"type":"notebook","body":{"titling":"auto","title":"The State of Cannabis in Florida","cells":[{"id":678,"value":"

The State of Cannabis in Florida

\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"html","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":685,"value":"$45","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":0,"value":"
\n

A snapshot of the Florida Medical Cannabis landscape in 2024.

A few large multi-state operators dominate the Florida market.

","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"html","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":629,"value":"As of DATE, 878,724 individuals are Qualified Patients able to purchase cannabis for medical use from one of the state’s approved retailers. Qualified Patients are currently served by 2,503 Qualified Physicians and 20 Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs) ","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":594,"value":"Plot.plot({\n title: \"Trulieve dominates the Florida medical cannabis market\",\n x: { label: \"Pounds of cannabis dispensed\", grid: true, type: \"linear\" },\n y: { label: \"Licensed MMTC\" },\n marginTop: 20,\n marginRight: 20,\n marginLeft: 190,\n subtitle: \"Pounds of smokable cannabis dispensed, March 15-April 11, 2024\",\n caption: \"Data: Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use\",\n marginBottom: 40,\n height: 500,\n width: 800,\n insetTop: 0,\n marks: [\n () => htl.svg`\n \n \n \n \n \n `,\n Plot.barX(\n sorted,\n Plot.groupY(\n { x: \"sum\" },\n {\n x: \"Pounds\",\n y: \"Company\",\n fill: \"url(#gradient)\",\n tip: true,\n sort: { y: \"-x\" }\n }\n )\n ),\n Plot.ruleX([0])\n ]\n})","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":609,"value":"sorted = data\n .map((d) => ({\n Company: d[\"MMTC Name\"],\n Pounds: d[\"Cannabis dispensed (lbs)\"],\n Percentage: d[\"Cannabis dispensed (percent of total lbs)\"]\n }))\n .sort()","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":661,"value":"data = FileAttachment(\"ommu.csv\").csv()","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":702,"value":"
\n## Full adult use legalization on the ballot in 2024\n
\n[Smart & Safe Florida](https://smartandsafeflorida.com), a political action committee, coordinated efforts to get Amendment 3 on the ballot this year by another initiated constitutional amendment, and multi-state cannabis company Trulieve has contributed a large amount of money to the effort.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":672,"value":"
\n# Trulieve has donated about $1 million to the campaign to legalize cannabis in Florida.\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":691,"value":"#### Data sources\n1. Ballotopedia\n2. [Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use](https://knowthefactsmmj.com/)\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"}],"files":"$W46","stdlib":"1"}} 44:"$43:body"