Pinellas County’s cannabis rules continue to be shaped largely by state law, and as of August 2025 the big picture is unchanged: Florida permits medical marijuana for qualified patients, while adult-use remains illegal. Voters rejected the 2024 constitutional amendment to legalize recreational use, and the 2025 legislative session ended without major reforms, so possession without a medical card remains a crime under Chapter 893 of the Florida Statutes.
Day-to-day enforcement reflects a mix of state penalties and local diversion. Under statewide guidance, possessing 20 grams or less without a medical authorization is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine; larger amounts escalate to felonies. In practice, Pinellas uses the Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion (APAD) program for eligible low-level offenses, including some simple-possession cases, allowing participants to avoid arrest if they complete conditions. APAD has been in place since 2016 and is administered through the Sheriff’s Office.
Zoning and the siting of dispensaries are primarily driven by state statute. Section 381.986 authorizes cities and counties to ban dispensaries or, if they allow them, to regulate them much like pharmacies and to observe buffers from schools. Clearwater’s community-development code, for example, expressly ties its rules to the state statute; other Pinellas municipalities follow similar patterns that channel storefronts to compliant corridors. The result is growing patient access alongside predictable siting rules.
What, if anything, has changed lately? In Tallahassee, lawmakers debated—but did not enact—several cannabis measures in 2025. A notable proposal to allow limited home cultivation for qualified medical patients (SB 546) was filed, and a laboratory-testing bill advanced, but the session adjourned with no cannabis policy enacted. Likewise, a 2024 push to dramatically expand setback distances for new dispensaries died in committee and never took effect. Bottom line: the legal framework that Pinellas applies today looks much like it did a year ago.
Locally, Pinellas has not adopted a countywide “decriminalization” ordinance like Tampa’s civil-citation scheme; instead, agencies rely on APAD to reach similar outcomes without changing the criminal code. For residents, that means diversion is possible in some circumstances, but a criminal charge can still be filed depending on facts and officer discretion. Patients and caregivers remain bound by the state program’s rules; personal “home grow” remains illegal absent new state legislation.
What could change next? Two external forces bear watching. First, federal policy: the new administration has said it is weighing whether to reclassify marijuana to Schedule III. Rescheduling would not legalize cannabis in Florida, but it could ease 280E tax burdens and open research pathways for state-licensed operators if finalized. Second, state politics: after the 2024 amendment failed to reach Florida’s 60% threshold, advocates are regrouping; unless a 2026 ballot effort succeeds or lawmakers act, the statutory status quo will persist. Stakeholders in Pinellas—municipal planners, operators, and patients—should track both fronts while continuing to follow Section 381.986 and local zoning codes as the controlling rules.