Florida Initiates Process for New Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Licenses

By Colleen Mitchell, Jerrico Perez, Sally Kent Peebles

Jul 15, 2021

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) recently announced it is kicking off rulemaking for two separate competitive medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC) license application processes.

This announcement has been a long time coming, as the addition of new MMTCs has been delayed since 2018 due to Tampa-based Florigrown, LLC’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s medical-marijuana statute. On May 27, 2021, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the statute, clearing the way for the DOH to begin the process of awarding new MMTC licenses.

The first merit-based application process will award one license to an applicant with majority ownership held by a recognized class member of either Pigford v. Glickman or In re Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation. The DOH then plans to issue at least 15 additional MMTC licenses through a second competitive application process to qualified applicants.

The timeline and exact requirements for each application process are unknown, as the rules are currently being drafted by the DOH. However, sources close to Florida’s Governor say the rules could be released in a matter of weeks.

If you are interested in applying for an MMTC license or have questions about the Florida market, please reach out to attorney Sally Kent Peebles at sally@vicentesederberg.com.