Is Marijuana Legal in Miami Beach? Florida Law Explained

Medical marijuana is legal in Miami Beach for registered Florida patients under Florida Statute §381.986. Recreational marijuana is not legal anywhere in Florida as of 2026-05-31. Amendment 3 of November 2024 received 56% voter support but fell short of Florida's 60% constitutional supermajority. Miracle Leaf® has helped more than 200,000 Florida patients certify under the state program.

Is Weed Legal in Miami Beach, Florida?

Miami Beach sits inside Miami-Dade County, and Florida medical marijuana law applies the same way it does anywhere else in the state. The governing statute is Florida Statute §381.986 (source: state .gov), which created the Medical Marijuana Use Registry administered by the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) within the Florida Department of Health.

Three rulings matter for anyone asking whether weed is legal in Miami Beach. Medical cannabis is legal for registered Florida patients who hold an active OMMU registry ID. Recreational cannabis is illegal statewide. Florida does not honor out-of-state medical cards, so visitors with cards from other states cannot purchase from a Florida dispensary.

The program is administered through one statewide registry. There is no separate Miami Beach license, no city-specific medical-cannabis ordinance, and no recreational dispensary in the city or anywhere else in Florida. The 35-day smokable allowance, the 70-day total-supply cap, and the $77.75 annual state ID card fee apply identically in Miami Beach, Miami Wynwood, Doral, Orlando, Tampa, or any other Florida city.

What Is the Difference Between Medical and Recreational Marijuana in Florida?

The cleanest way to understand Miami Beach marijuana laws is to look at the two paths side by side. One path is legal for the right patient. The other is a state criminal offense.

Medical path (legal for registered Florida patients). A Florida-licensed qualified physician evaluates a patient under §381.986, certifies a qualifying condition, and enters the certification into the OMMU registry. The patient pays the $77.75 annual state fee through the OMMU portal and receives a Medical Marijuana Use Registry ID card by mail in roughly 10 business days. The card authorizes purchases from any licensed Florida Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MMTC). Patients must be Florida residents 18 or older. Florida does not recognize out-of-state cards (source: Marijuana Policy Project), and tourists holding a medical card from another state cannot purchase from a Miami Beach MMTC.

Recreational path (illegal in Florida). There are no recreational dispensaries in Miami Beach because adult-use cannabis remains illegal statewide. Possession of 20 grams or less is a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute §893.13 (source: state .gov), with up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Possession of more than 20 grams is a third-degree felony, with up to five years in state prison and a $5,000 fine. A conviction also triggers a mandatory two-year driver license suspension under Florida Statute §322.055.

Hemp-derived CBD with 0.3% or less THC is legal under the Florida hemp program separately from the medical-cannabis system, but that is a distinct regulatory track and not what most people mean when they ask whether marijuana is legal here.

Florida Marijuana Statute and Miami-Dade Local Rules

Florida medical cannabis law is set at the state level by §381.986. Florida adult-use penalties live in §893.13 and the rest of Chapter 893 of the Florida Statutes.

Miami-Dade County also has a civil-citation ordinance 15-138 (source: Municode), passed in 2015. The ordinance allows Miami-Dade officers to issue a civil fine in lieu of a misdemeanor arrest for possession of 20 grams or less. The fine is typically in the $75 to $100 range for a first offense. Officer discretion is preserved, which means an officer may still arrest under state statute rather than issue a civil citation.

Two important limits on the Miami-Dade ordinance. First, it does not change state law. Possession of 20 grams or less remains a state misdemeanor under §893.13 regardless of which city or county the arrest happens in. Second, the City of Miami Beach has not passed its own additional municipal ordinance on top of the county rule. Miami Beach is covered by the Miami-Dade ordinance because the city sits inside the county, but the legal framework is county-level, not city-level. Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement always enforce state law, and the NORML Florida tracker (source: NORML) lists current civil-citation jurisdictions for anyone who wants to confirm before traveling.

This is not legal advice. Local ordinances change without notice, and any individual case should go to a licensed Florida attorney.

Did Amendment 3 Pass and What Is the 2026 Ballot Status?

Recreational marijuana has been on the Florida ballot twice in recent years, and both attempts fell short. Amendment 3 received 55.9% support in November 2024, below Florida's 60% supermajority threshold. The follow-on Smart and Safe Florida 2026 effort failed signature validation, and the Florida Legislature has not advanced a recreational bill in the 2026 session.

Amendment 3 (source: Ballotpedia) appeared on the November 2024 statewide ballot. It received 55.9% voter support. The amendment failed because Florida requires a 60% supermajority to pass any citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, a threshold set by Article XI of the Florida Constitution. A clear majority of Florida voters said yes to recreational cannabis, but Florida is one of the few states that demands more than a simple majority.

The follow-on Smart and Safe Florida 2026 (source: Marijuana Policy Project) ballot effort did not certify. State officials validated only roughly 793,000 of the 1.4 million signatures the campaign submitted, short of the 880,000 valid signatures required to qualify for the November 2026 ballot. The Florida Supreme Court dismissed the campaign's legal challenge in March 2026. The Florida Legislature has not advanced a recreational legalization bill in the 2026 session either. SB 1398 was filed and received no committee hearing.

That puts the current status this way as of 2026-05-31. Recreational cannabis is not on the 2026 ballot. The medical program continues to operate under §381.986. The next realistic ballot attempt would target 2028, and a future campaign would need to collect closer to 1.6 to 1.8 million raw signatures to safely clear the validation gap, plus reach the same 60% supermajority that Amendment 3 missed.

Florida Medical Cannabis Evaluation

Florida requires the first qualifying-physician visit to happen in person under §381.986. Miracle Leaf® operates clinics across Miami-Dade and the rest of Florida for same-day in-clinic evaluations.

Book a Miami-area evaluation.

Returning patients on the annual renewal cycle may qualify for telehealth renewal where OMMU permits.

Sources for Miami Beach Marijuana Law

• Florida Statute §381.986, "Medical use of marijuana." flsenate.gov. State .gov primary statute.
• Florida Statute §893.13, "Prohibited acts; penalties (controlled substances)." leg.state.fl.us. State .gov adult-use penalty statute.
• Florida Statute §322.055, "Revocation, suspension of driver license; drug convictions." leg.state.fl.us. State .gov driver-license sanction.
• Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU), Florida Department of Health. knowthefactsmmj.com. State .gov program portal.
• Ballotpedia: Florida Amendment 3, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2024). ballotpedia.org.
• Marijuana Policy Project: Florida state page. mpp.org/states/florida. Includes Smart and Safe Florida 2026 ballot status.
• NORML: Florida Laws and Penalties tracker. norml.org/laws/florida. Current civil-citation jurisdictions.
• Miami-Dade County Code of Ordinances, civil-citation ordinance 15-138 (2015). municode.com.
• Florida Department of Agriculture, hemp and CBD program. fdacs.gov. State .gov hemp framework.

Related Florida Marijuana Law Resources

• Florida medical marijuana program for the full state program overview and qualifying-physician details.
• How to get a medical marijuana card online for the four-step Florida application walkthrough.
• Qualifying conditions for the complete §381.986 condition list and clinical eligibility framework.
• Contact a Miracle Leaf® clinic for same-day Miami-area evaluation booking.

Disclaimer

This page is informational and is not medical or legal advice. Florida medical cannabis law is set by §381.986 and administered by OMMU. Adult-use penalties are set by §893.13. Consult a qualified Florida physician for clinical questions and a licensed Florida attorney for any individual legal question. Cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and a Florida medical card does not protect federal employment, federal contracting, security clearances, or DOT-regulated transportation work.