Florida

Under Florida Statute 381.986, only a "qualified physician" registered with the OMMU may issue physician certifications for medical cannabis. To be a qualified physician, a practitioner must:

• Hold an active, unrestricted license to practice allopathic (MD) or osteopathic (DO) medicine in Florida
• Successfully complete the required continuing education course and pass the examination (see below)
• Register with the OMMU Medical Marijuana Use Registry

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, Naturopathic Physicians, and other non-physician practitioners are not authorized to certify patients in Florida.

To become a qualified physician and register with the OMMU:

1. Complete the required CME course (see below) and pass the examination.
2. Register with the OMMU Medical Marijuana Use Registry. Once registered, you will be able to enter patient certifications directly into the registry.
3. Renew your OMMU registration at each physician license renewal cycle. [Researched — verify renewal process]

The OMMU maintains a list of qualified physicians. To find or verify qualified physician status, visit knowthefactsmmj.com.

Under Florida Statute 381.986, before being approved as a qualified physician and before each license renewal, a physician must successfully complete a 2-hour continuing education course and pass a subsequent examination. The course must be offered by the Florida Medical Association (FMA) or the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA) and must cover:

• Requirements of the state medical cannabis program
• Pharmacology of cannabis
• Contraindications, side effects, and adverse reactions
• Overdose prevention and drug interactions
• Dosing and routes of administration
• Risks and benefits, warnings, and precautions

Contact the Florida Medical Association or Florida Osteopathic Medical Association for current course offerings and scheduling.

A qualified physician must determine that the patient has a qualifying condition and that the benefits of medical marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks to the patient. Qualifying medical conditions include:

• • • • Cancer
      • Epilepsy
      • Glaucoma
      • HIV/AIDS
      • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
      • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
      • Crohn's disease
      • Parkinson's disease
      • Multiple sclerosis (MS)
      • Terminal conditions (diagnosed with a life expectancy of 12 months or less)
      • Chronic nonmalignant pain caused by or originating from a qualifying medical condition
      • Any medical condition of the same kind or class as or comparable to those listed, as determined by the certifying physician

Step 1: Conduct a mandatory in-person physical examination.

Florida law requires the qualified physician to be physically present in the same room when conducting the initial examination of a qualifying patient. Telehealth is NOT permitted for the initial certification. The examination must include a review of the patient's medical history and a determination that the patient has a qualifying condition and that medical cannabis is likely to outweigh health risks.

Step 2: Enter the certification in the OMMU Medical Marijuana Use Registry.

If you certify the patient, enter their certification directly into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry on the same day as the evaluation. The registry will notify the patient to complete their OMMU card application.

Step 3: Maintain the physician-patient relationship.

You become the patient's treating physician for cannabis therapy. This is an ongoing relationship, not a one-time consultation. You are responsible for monitoring the patient's treatment and issuing renewal certifications.

In using the registry, the physician must comply with the following requirements:

• Must specify such amount of medical marijuana that will not exceed a 45-day supply per order;
• Must update the registry within seven (7) days of any change to the original order;
• Must deactivate a patient's or legal representative's registration if treatment is discontinued.

Patients who are enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Program must be reevaluated by a physician and have their recommendation updated every 210 days (7 months).

Medical professionals have a legal right to recommend cannabis as a treatment in any state, as protected by the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (Title III section 301) which became law on December 2, 2022, and the First Amendment (established by a 2004 United States Supreme Court decision to uphold earlier federal court rulings that doctors, and their patients have a fundamental Constitutional right to freely discuss treatment options).

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