What kind of license do I need for a Cannabis Business in Florida?
The State of Florida only issues one type of cannabis business license: Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (“MMTC”). In 2014, the Florida Legislature passed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, effectively creating the foundation of medical marijuana businesses in Florida. Under Florida Statute § 381.986, MMTCs must be licensed by the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (“OMMU”) to cultivate, process, transport, and distribute medical mairjuana. As this entity was created under the Department of Health (“Department”), the Department set forth a framework for nurseries to apply for a “Dispensing Organization” license (i.e) a MMTC license. Furthermore, Florida has additional restrictions to their cannabis business licensing process as in 2021, the Supreme Court of Florida ruled that every MMTC in the state must be “vertically integrated.” This ruling enforces full responsibility of all MMTCs in Florida to be able to “cultivate, process, transport, and dispense marijuana for medical use.”
Currently, there are 22 MMTC licenses in Florida, including well-known medical marijuana companies such as Trulieve, MedMen, and GrowHealthy. Although there is no current open application process to acquire a MMTC license, it is instrumental to get an understanding of the licensing process if you wish to open up a cannabis business in the State of Florida soon.
First, the application process—the MMTC application contains 16 parts. Each part has separate requirements that the applicant must conform with to be granted a cannabis business license. For example, under Section 1 of the application, the applicant must thoroughly detail his or her knowledge and experience with cultivation. For further details on drafting your MMTC license application, contact PS Law Group and we will work with you during each step of the licensing process.
Second, the review process—after submitting your application and paying the $60,830.00 application fee, your MMTC application will be reviewed and scored in three (3) Phases. Phase 1, the Department will review for any apparent errors or mistakes on the application. Phase 2, Evaluators will qualitatively review and score the section of your application they are provided with. Phase 3, the Department will calculate the total application scores of each applicant and approve of the most well-rounded applicants.
Are you interested in applying for a cannabis business license in Florida? Now is the time to start putting each piece of your business together to ensure you are a desired and competitive applicant. Contact PS Law Group for a consultation to start structuring your business plan today. We look forward to hearing from you!