New Florida Bill Would Make Medical Marijuana Cards and Renewals Free for Veterans

Legislation to remove the financial burden of receiving and renewing medical marijuana authorization cards for veterans has been filed in the Florida Senate.

Senate Bill 1514 was filed Friday by Senator Victor Torres (D). Today the measure was assigned to the Senate Health Policy Committee, the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Policy Committee.

“A qualified patient who is a veteran, as defined in s. 1.01(14), is not required to pay the fee for the issuance or renewal of a medical marijuana use registry identification card.”

The measure specifies that “A qualified patient must provide the department with a copy of one of the following as proof of identification:

  1. A DD Form 214, issued by the United States Department of Defense;
  2. A veteran health identification card, issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; or
  3. A veteran identification card, issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to the Veterans Identification Card Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-31.”

Currently it costs $75 to receive and renew a medical marijuana authorization card. A written recommendation from a licensed physician is also required.

The full text of Senate Bill 1514 can be found by clicking here.

Last week legislation was filed in the Florida House of Representatives to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to take tax deductions equal to what they’d be allowed to take with the IRS if medical marijuana wasn’t federally illegal.

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