By Staff Report
A months-long legal showdown began Monday over Florida’s latest round of medical marijuana licenses, a rare opportunity to join one of the nation’s fastest-growing cannabis markets.
The hearing before Administrative Law Judge Mary Li Creasy is expected to continue through mid-February and involves 13 rejected applicants challenging how the Florida Department of Health scored their submissions. Regulators announced plans in late 2024 to award 22 new licenses from a pool of 72 applicants, nearly doubling the number of state-approved operators.
Attorneys for the challengers argue that evaluators miscalculated or unfairly judged their applications. For example, Liner Source, Inc. contends it was improperly scored low on cultivation despite owning extensive infrastructure. Other disputes involve questions of eligibility and disclosure, including a case where MSD Enterprises LLC was rejected for failing to name all affiliated individuals.
Department attorney Ed Lombard defended the scoring process, saying the agency’s evaluators followed the law and hinting that the challenges stem from “losers unhappy with their scores.”
The licensing expansion stems from a 2017 law requiring more licenses as the number of registered medical marijuana patients grows — a figure now exceeding 930,000. Florida currently has 25 licensed operators running more than 700 dispensaries statewide.
The battle comes as the political committee Smart & Safe Florida, heavily funded by Trulieve, prepares another push to legalize recreational marijuana on the 2026 ballot after a narrow defeat in 2024.
Ali Moreland 