by Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
In a continued effort to crack down on the sale of hemp to minors, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is coming up with a new regulation.
This one will define the word “cartoon,” and the agency will hear public testimony on the proposed new rule during a workshop in Tallahassee on Aug. 13.
FDACS announced the three-hour public meeting Wednesday, about two weeks after announcing it intended to draft a new rule.
Florida law bans hemp products from being “attractive to children” and includes this definition:
“‘Attractive to children,’ means manufactured in the shape of humans, cartoons, or animals; manufactured in a form that bears any reasonable resemblance to an existing candy product that is familiar to the public as a widely distributed, branded food product such that a product could be mistaken for the branded product, especially by children; or containing any color additives. Under the statute, hemp products are attractive to children if they are in the shape of a cartoon or display cartoons on the packaging.”
Meanwhile, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced in a press release Monday that the department conducted inspections of hemp retailers and manufacturers across the state to ensure compliance with child-protection standards for hemp products. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Safe Summer,” has in the past five weeks resulted in the removal of more than 155,000 packages from retailers’ shelves.
Simpson said the investigations should “serve as a wake-up call to any businesses putting profits over the safety of our children and communities. This is not a one-time sweep — we are committed to a sustained crackdown on these illegal products and will aggressively pursue bad actors until the hemp industry gets the message.”
During the 2023 legislative session, Simpson lobbied the Legislature to change Florida’s hemp laws to better protect consumers and children. Later that year, Simpson’s department conducted the largest-ever inspection sweep of businesses selling products that contain hemp.
To date, FDACS has removed more than 800,000 packages of hemp products deemed in violation of child-protection standards.
The FDACS meeting will be held at Eyster Auditorium, The Conner Building, 3125 Conner Blvd., Tallahassee.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
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