Here’s where Jacksonville stands on cannabis as of August 2025: not much has changed locally or statewide since last year’s headlines. Florida continues to allow medical marijuana through its Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU), while adult-use remains illegal after voters rejected Amendment 3 on November 5, 2024, when the measure fell short of the 60% supermajority required for constitutional amendments.

Criminal penalties for possession also remain intact. Under Florida Statute §893.13, possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine; more than 20 grams elevates exposure to a felony. Those state penalties apply in Jacksonville because the city has not passed a decriminalization ordinance.

At City Hall, the most notable local development is actually what didn’t happen: a 2019 bill to decriminalize small-quantity possession by creating a civil citation scheme was denied by the City Council, and subsequent efforts to revive the idea have not produced a standing local ordinance. That said, Jacksonville’s justice system has leaned on diversion in practice. In 2021, the State Attorney’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office agreed to build an adult civil citation program to steer some nonviolent misdemeanors—including possession under 20 grams—away from arrest and into pre-arrest diversion, at the discretion of law enforcement and prosecutors.

Zoning rules for licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs) inside city limits also remain largely steady. Jacksonville codified siting and waiver provisions several years ago, and those rules continue to govern where dispensing facilities may operate. Patients may purchase only from licensed MMTCs; non-patients may not legally buy cannabis products, and public consumption remains unlawful.

What could change next? At the state level, advocates have restarted the ballot process. In June 2025, Smart & Safe Florida collected enough signatures to trigger Florida Supreme Court review of a 2026 adult-use initiative—an early, procedural milestone rather than a guarantee that voters will see (or pass) a measure next cycle. Meanwhile, the 2025 legislative session adjourned without enacting major cannabis reforms, leaving the medical framework and criminal penalties unchanged.

Another moving piece is federal. The administration has signaled it is weighing whether to reclassify marijuana to Schedule III. That change would not legalize recreational cannabis in Florida, but it could ease research barriers and—crucially for operators—end the punitive 280E tax treatment, potentially improving patient pricing and access over time. Any federal shift would still coexist with Florida’s state-level prohibitions until voters or lawmakers act.

Bottom line for Jacksonville residents: adult-use remains illegal; state possession penalties still apply; and only qualified patients can buy from licensed dispensaries. Keep an eye on the 2026 initiative process and on federal scheduling news—both could affect timelines and economics—but neither guarantees near-term recreational sales in Duval County.