Study: Growth of Florida's medical marijuana industry second in the nation

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida's medical marijuana industry is booming. A new study says Florida ranks among the highest in the country for industry growth.

Thirty-six states currently allow medical marijuana, but each one has its own set of rules, which means every state's industry grows at a different pace. With that in mind, Marijuana Business Daily crunched the numbers and found Florida’s medical marijuana industry growth is No. 2 out of those 36 states. Oklahoma is No. 1.

There are more than 255,000 qualified medical marijuana patients in Florida. That’s about 1.6% of the state’s population, with an average of 609 new patients signing on per day.

Many experts say those numbers will likely only increase with time.

The number of people using other cannabis-based products is growing, as well. Tampa CBD dispensary Natural Life sells non-euphoric cannabis products, which do not contain THC. The store says it has seen a bump in sales since medical marijuana became legal.

“Since it became a medical state, definitely our sales have gone up. It's opened people’s eyes,” said manager Sebastian Suarez. “Hopefully we can all grow together and become a bigger industry.” 

PHOTOS: Behind the scenes at Apollo Beach's medical cannabis facility

Oklahoma tops the list because the state does not have a list of qualifying conditions, meaning a wider variety of conditions is eligible for treatment.

LINK: For more information about medical marijuana in Florida, visit https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Cannabis/Medical-Marijuana