FL Edible Marijuana Law Has Highs (but Also Lows)

By Jonathan Blecher on September 11, 2020

Caught Bud Naked? Don’t Get Stuck in the Weeds.

On August 27, 2020, Florida legalized edible medical marijuana. This significant law broadens the THC options available to qualified patients as well as provides alternatives to smoking medical marijuana, which was legalized in 2019. THC is the psychoactive compound in cannabis (marijuana) that provides treatment benefits for patients suffering from certain medical conditions. It comes in various forms, including edibles, which are cannabis-infused foods and beverages.

Florida’s new edible medical marijuana law includes the following rules:

  • Edibles cannot have primary or bright colors in order to minimize attraction to children
  • Edibles can come in the form of lozenges, gelatins, baked goods, chocolates and drink powders
  • Edibles must not resemble any commercially available candy
  • Edibles must be packaged appropriately
  • Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels in edibles must not exceed 10 mg in single servings or 200 mg in multi-servings

Criminal Penalties for Possession of Edibles

Although edibles are now legal, things can go wrong if you are not a qualified patient and found in possession of edibles. Edibles are deemed “synthetic cannabinoids” that are only legal in Florida if a person is a qualified medical marijuana patient.

Florida drug possession penalties including the following charges:

  • The first-degree felony is punishable by a $10,000 fine and/or up to 30 years in prison.
  • A second-degree felony is punishable by a $10,000 fine and/or up to 15 years in prison.
  • A third-degree felony is punishable by a $5,000 fine and/or up to 5 years in prison.
  • The first-degree misdemeanor is punishable by a $1,000 fine and/or up to 1 year in jail.

If you are charged with drug possession in Miami, you cannot fool yourself by thinking you’ll get a lighter sentence because the alleged crime involved edibles. Prosecutors will treat your case as if it involved cocaine, and I know this because I am a former prosecutor.

From my prosecutorial experience, I know how the other side of the law can work to put you in jail. As such, I can prepare defense strategies that counteract the anticipated attacks against you to increase your chances of walking away free. My goal is to get your drug possession charges minimized or dismissed altogether, and I’ll do everything it takes to accomplish just that.

See what 30 years of experience can do for your Miami drug possession charges. Contact Jonathan Blecher, P.A. at 305-321-3237 to discuss your case and plan of action!

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