The Florida Agriculture Department has released its first draft of proposed rules for a state hemp program. This comes ahead of hemp rulemaking workshops beginning later this week.
The draft lays out testing and purity standards for growers and packaging and labeling requirements for food containing hemp or its extract, CBD. Hemp must contain less than 0.3% THC, the high-inducing ingredient found in marijuana.
It also stipulates the plant can only be grown on agriculture land. But in two years, the Agriculture Department could revise "whether it is necessary to continue restricting cultivation of Hemp to lands that are used primarily for bona fide agricultural purposes."
The department even lays out requirements for dairy products, frozen deserts and dog treats.
Stakeholders and the public will have a chance to weigh in on the proposal at one of three workshops across the state. Agriculture Department officials will be in Broward on Thursday, Tampa on Friday and Tallahassee on Monday.
Lawmakers gave the nod to a state hemp program this legislative session and that bill (SB 1020) is sitting on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.
After the state Agriculture Department finalizes the rules, the U.S. Agriculture Department will still need to give the final stamp of approval.
Read the full draft of rules below:
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