Is It Legal To Grow Cannabis In Florida

Most states in the US allow the medical and recreational use of cannabis. However, in Florida, only medical cannabis is legal; recreational cannabis, on the other hand, is still illegal. Introduction of bills by representatives to legalize cannabis has met opposition. For now, it’s legal to possess medical seeds. Nevertheless, growing without a license will attract merciless punishment, including fines.

Yet, you can purchase your seeds from trustworthy online stores pending the time the state lifts the restriction. How do we know? Nothing lasts forever; there have been legal battles for years, so we hope that Florida laws permit growers to own and cultivate their marijuana strain without fear of being tried in court in the nearest years.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the legalities of cannabis in Florida and how to acquire seeds online.

Cannabis Cultivation In Florida: Definition

Section 893.13(1)(a), Florida Statutes governs the cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis. Under the statute, it’s unlawful for anyone to manufacture or possess with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance, which includes cannabis. The term “manufacture” is defined by Florida law as preparing, producing, propagating, packaging, labeling, relabelling, converting, compounding, cultivating, growing, and processing cannabis directly or indirectly or both.

While the manufacturing process involves the extraction of cannabis substances from their natural sources or through chemical synthesis, alternatively, a mix of extraction and chemical synthesis can be used.

The Current State of Cannabis Legality in Florida

Florida is still one of those states “stuck” with the medicinal use of cannabis. You only access marijuana after seeing a physician and once granted the Medical Marijuana Identification (MMJ) card (to be renewed every seven months). Nonetheless, the card gives you the right to purchase seeds from a dispensary, yet home-growing cannabis seeds in Florida are prohibited.

With all these strict laws, many feel the state deprives them of good health, especially if the modality of marijuana your doctor prescribed is not within the confine of Florida. Aside from that, attempts are ongoing to legalize the reactional use of cannabis in Florida. State representatives Carlos Guillermo Smith and Michael Grieco introduced legislation to legalize marijuana in 2019.

With all the back-and-forth legislation battles, the state granted some dispensary brand licenses to sell and distribute marijuana. And the “vertical integration,” which means companies have to grow, harvest, and sell, has become an issue for those doing business in FL.

Hence, using marijuana for medical purposes is legal. With your MMJ card, you can access it, but growing it in your home for personal use can be a third-degree, second degree or first-degree felony, according to the law of the state of Florida.

Penalties For Growing Cannabis In Florida

Generally, cultivating cannabis in Florida is a felony, and the punishment is usually severe depending on the case. Typically, if Florida law views the offense as a 3rd-degree felony, the maximum jail term will be five years, with a fine of $5.000.

If found with 25 plants or more, this will imply you’re in actual or constructive possession of grow house. The penalty isn’t friendly because it is a 2nd-degree felony; the punishment is 15yrs imprisonment and a huge fine.

However, in cases whereby minors live in a place where there is cannabis cultivation, it will be tagged as a 1st-degree felony, and the punishment will increase.

All hope isn’t lost; the future of cannabis growing in Florida seems bright. Fortunately, the law might change to enable Floridians to cultivate a limited number of plants in their homes for personal use exclusively. Currently, the situation, however, is still in flux.

The Enforcement Of Anti-Cultivation Laws

The law enforcement agencies in the last few years throughout Florida have waged a concerted campaign to eradicate marijuana cultivation or manufacturing in the state. The Florida Domestic Marijuana Eradication Program is critical to this enforcement endeavor.

The Florida Domestic Marijuana Eradication Program (DME) is the result of a collaboration between the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement, and the Florida National Guard. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, DME has identified over 24,000 grow facilities in the state and eradicated over 2 million marijuana plants. These plants are worth more than $2.9 billion. Over 9,100 Florida growers were detained due to this program’s activities.

You Can Buy Marijuana Seeds In Florida

Even with Florida’s strict legislation, many still wonder if they can buy cannabis seeds in Florida and grow them in their home. Although it’s a risky business, you can purchase seeds and keep or grow them indoors if you can. If you want to take the risk, it solely depends on you.

You can purchase cannabis online. Be confident that Herbies seed bank has the most fabulous marijuana seeds in Florida that can be discreetly delivered. The seeds are legal in Florida.

Medical Cannabis In Florida

Although Medicinal cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, Florida approved it in 2016. The bill was introduced in 2014 to ensure that children with epilepsy can access medical cannabis to treat their sickness, as in the case of Charlotte, who used CBD oil to treat her epilepsy.

Although there are legislations guiding medicinal cannabis, after the “Charlotte Web Bill,” marijuana edibles for medical use are now in the dispensaries after being legalized in 2020. These edibles cannot be brightly colored and icing. Diseases and disorders such as multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, celiac disease, and chronic non-malignant pain can be treated with medical cannabis. But, to do this, a patient must have the medical marijuana registry identification card.

Conclusion

Medical marijuana is legal in Florida for certain eligible citizens–with the need for the MMJ card–however, growing cannabis on your own is unlawful. But you can still purchase your seeds, which is legal. When you’re ready to do so, you should head over to the Herbies head shop. They have the best seeds on sale.