Florida House Advances Bill to Cut Medical Marijuana Card Fees for Veterans to $15

24 February 2026

Florida veterans may soon pay far less to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program.

House Bill 887, approved unanimously by the House Health and Human Services Committee on February 24, 2026, would cut the cost of a medical marijuana registry identification card for honorably discharged veterans from $75 to $15. The measure now heads to the full House for consideration. If passed by the Legislature and signed into law, it would take effect July 1, 2026.

The bill authorizes the Florida Department of Health to apply the reduced fee to initial applications, annual renewals, and replacement cards. For veterans who maintain continuous participation in the program, the savings could add up over time.

Florida’s medical marijuana registry includes more than 931,000 active patients. Lawmakers acknowledge they do not know how many of those patients are veterans, so the fiscal impact on the Department of Health is described as indeterminate. The agency would likely collect less revenue from card fees, though the total reduction remains unclear.

Supporters of the bill argue that the change may ease financial pressure on veterans who use medical cannabis to manage chronic pain, post traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, and other qualifying conditions. Representative Susan Valdés said during committee consideration that medical cannabis has shown promise for veterans and may help reduce dependence on opioids.

To qualify for the discounted card, veterans would need to present proof of honorable discharge. Acceptable documentation includes:

• a DD 214 discharge form,
• a Veterans Affairs identification card,
• a Uniformed Services ID reflecting retired status, or
• a Florida driver license with a veteran designation.

A parallel proposal in the Senate, SB 1032, would also lower veteran registration fees to $15. That measure goes further, proposing expanded physician recommendation limits and lengthening the interval between required patient evaluations from 30 weeks to 52 weeks. If enacted, those changes could reduce the frequency of doctor visits for patients and potentially alter purchasing patterns within dispensaries.

For medical cannabis businesses, the fee reduction alone may not dramatically shift the market. The card fee is a relatively small portion of overall patient costs, which also include physician evaluations and product purchases. Still, for veterans weighing whether to enter or remain in the program, the lower fee may remove at least one barrier.

The broader cannabis debate in Florida continues alongside this narrower reform. Lawmakers are considering additional bills related to recreational legalization, home cultivation, parental rights protections, and expanded qualifying conditions. At the same time, the Smart & Safe Florida campaign is contesting the invalidation of petition signatures as it seeks to qualify an adult use legalization measure for the 2026 ballot. A similar proposal in 2024 secured majority support but fell short of the 60 percent required to amend the state constitution.

For now, HB 887 represents a more targeted policy shift. If it becomes law, veterans across Florida would see their state registration fee drop by 80 percent starting July 1, 2026, a change that appears aimed at narrowing cost gaps without altering the broader structure of the medical marijuana program.