Physician Certification Pattern Review, 2024 Annual Report 1 I. General Process for Medical Marijuana Certifications 1. Requirements for Qualified Physicians Physicians qualify to recommend medical marijuana if they hold an active and unrestricted license as an allopathic physician under Chapter 458, F.S., or an osteopathic physician under Chapter 459, F.S., and successfully complete an approved 2‐hour Continuing Medical Education course and examination. The physician must complete the course before each biennial license renewal deadline to retain this distinction. All Florida‐licensed physicians must provide information for a primary practice location. However, physicians may self‐report as “Not Practicing,” maintain an active license, and not provide a primary practice location. See Table 1. Table 1. Total number of Florida‐licensed physicians qualified to certify patients for medical marijuana. Reported Physician Practice Location Address FY 20211 FY 20221 FY 20231 In a Florida County 2,299 2,038 2,198 Not Practicing 32 25 28 Out of State 98 81 86 1 Data cycle is July – June prior to January 1st publication date. See page i. 2. Requirements to Issue a Physician Certification Figure 1 illustrates the general process to issue a physician certification. As of June 30, 2023, a physician certification can be issued only if the qualified physician conducted a physical examination while physically present in the same room as the patient; completed a full assessment of the patient’s medical history; reviewed the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) database; and diagnosed the patient with at least one qualifying medical condition. Qualified physicians are responsible for the determination that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient. Physicians must complete the medical consent form and, when appropriate, submit required documentation as part of the certification process. See section 381.986(4)(a–g), F.S. Figure 1. General process for determining if medical marijuana is an appropriate patient treatment.
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