News, Events, & Webinars – The Florida Hemp Council

August 11, 2020

The BiPolarity of Cannabis in Florida Hemp & Medical Cannabis

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By Jeff Greene

For those of you new to Florida or new to cannabis, your underlying belief would probably be that when you are discussing a new crop, federally legal if grown a specific way with a specific group of genetics and a federally illegal crop, with mandatory verticality, that those were two different naturally grown plants.

And, you would be wrong.

First let’s talk about regulations:

Hemp – Federally legal, per the 2014 and eventually 2018 Farm Bills. Still only legal as long as its not food per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and if you are on social media there is very little difference (check out last month’s article on shadow banning). To add to the confusion, in Florida, hemp is a food per state law. Seeds are scarce due to regulations, mainly because of the instability of the genetics. Many folks are saying there are no hemp genetics, it’s just marijuana harvested two weeks early. While that may be the case, genetics companies are pouncing on the opportunity to fill the void of high CBD genetics that are THC compliant.

In Florida, horizontal but regulated markets abound. You can grow with a license, process and manufacture with a license, and wholesale or retail with a license. The fees for the licenses are reasonable: zero for farmers and $650/year for everyone else. Also, consumers do not need a license to consume.

Within six months of Florida starting the hemp program, over 6,000 retail locations indicated they want to sell hemp products, over 240 manufacturers said they want to make products and over 450 farmers said they want to grow the plant. The state has adopted rules for each, passed a bill to fix some language and established testing requirements.

Medical Marijuana – Federally illegal, state legal. Vertical requirement means the barrier to entry was going to be high to begin with, coupled with nursery restrictions initially that ballooned the valuation of the licenses up into the $60-70M before dropping recently. Hampered by lawsuits, initially contesting the way licenses were awarded but most recently contesting the vertical requirement the industry was created under. Florigrown v State of Florida is having more arguments heard this fall. Adam Elend, CEO of Florigrown, shared with me, “A horizontal system serves the patient better because it is more functional and promotes diversity. Horizontal regulations already exist in the marijuana law with cultivation authorization, processing authorization and dispensing authorization. All they have to do is open it up and allow wholesale transactions. The legislature could also raise much needed revenue through excise taxes that don’t reach the consumer. Most importantly, a horizontal system is much safer. The current system is basically lawless except for limiting the licenses. The hemp regulations are not perfect, but they capture a lot of benefits of a free market system. It’s the way businesses have been regulated in this state for more than 80 years. Our Florida liquor laws call vertical integration “tied-house evil” because the legislature knew way back then that the system was inherently poor, inefficient, and ripe for corruption.”

There are over 2,000 doctors able to prescribe medical marijuana with virtually no education or training. Medical schools did not teach cannabis and continued education is limited.

All that being said, marijuana is a schedule 1 drug which means, per the federal government, it has no medicinal value. Patients must be issued a recommendation by one of these registered doctors and then proceed to a location that has one brand of product. Each licensee, known as a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MMTC), can only carry the products that they have grown, processed and packaged.

Over and above that, the testing requirements have only recently been adopted for the medical marijuana industry in Florida. What took 6 months on the hemp side took 3 years on the medical marijuana side.

Now let’s talk about science …

The cannabis plant with over 140 different cannabinoids is broken into two camps by one or two of these: Delta 9-THC and THCa. The levels of THC or total THC varies by state and country but at its core, the difference between hemp and marijuana is an arbitrary assessment of THC based on what is scientifically determined to make the average person’s psychotropic ability affected (high). This differs greatly from synthetics that attempt to mimic this “high”. Synthetics are a chemical attempt to replicate the feeling, skirt the regulations and get to market fast and furiously. Almost all synthetics are meant as party drugs and not to cope with a medical condition.

Now let’s talk about farming …

Hemp farmers are frustrated due to the supply glut that has happened nationwide. With the price of biomass, flower and processed raw materials down as much as 500% cheaper than it was three years ago, and in some cases in the last year, this will most likely lead to lower market prices, new products and more opportunity. The problem is in part the pandemic, in part market suppression due to media and social media and in part technology. It is widely accepted that 25,000 products can be made from hemp, however the problem with that statement is that without manufacturing you can only grow one product and that is biomass/flower. Every other product requires either extraction, decortication, or some other way to process the plant. This can be almost any product that currently uses tobacco, plastic, paper, grain, fiber and medication to facilitate its consumer use.

Medical marijuana farmers are again, only those that have one of the vertical licenses and must be indoor only. Indoor farming is more expensive and carries different potential environmental and man-made issues to facilitate a clean grow to include mold/mildew or pests that manage to invade the space. Grow facilities are only able to have their products sold at company-owned retail stores.

Finally retail …

Hemp can be sold in any location registered with the state that has been inspected and has paid the $650 fee. This has ballooned to over 6,000 locations in Florida. Products must overcome legacy regulations in their competitive spaces: building supplies, plastics, nutrition products and tobacco alternatives.

For medical marijuana, retail is limited to only where medical marijuana licensees can get a permit and generally follows the same guidelines as pharmacies. This means a location that could be a CVS Pharmacy or Pill Box Pharmacy can now carry only the products the licensee can manufacture.

Arguably the only competition to the medical marijuana industry is the black market. And a legal product should certainly be more economical.

Bottom line, hemp has made THC legal in this country. The matter of how much THC is up for debate. Consumers are certainly going to be able to get more products going forward. Medical marijuana may follow the hemp model if Florigrown is successful in their lawsuit. Florida is leading the country in hemp regulation and as soon as we can all leave the house, if not sooner, I expect everyone will be able to use some cannabinoids to calm them down.

July 24, 2020

Florida Growers Seek AOSCA-Certified Hemp Seed Under State Law

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Florida farmers interested in joining the state’s newly approved industrial hemp program are quickly learning the trials involved in sourcing certified seeds. According to state law, industrial hemp seeds must be certified by an agent of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA).

With only six years of research-based hemp cultivation on the books in the U.S. since the 2014 Farm Bill was signed, the sheer timing of this requirement has made it difficult to find a breeder who has earned AOSCA certification on his or her hemp genetics.

Enter Sunbelt Hemp, a seed production business based outside of Greenville, S.C.

The company’s Goliath variety, among others that are sold out as of mid-July 2020, has been certified by an AOSCA agent, making it a target of Florida hemp growers seeking a reliable, compliant seed source.

Ben Baum, H.F. Michell Co. representative in Florida, has been connecting growers with Sunbelt seeds. He has picked up on a lot of interest from Florida growers working within the bounds of that ASOCA requirement.

According to Baum, Goliath boasts a 99% germination rate. (AOSCA-certified seed batches must bear out germination rates of 80% or higher.) The certification backs up that claim and communicates to growers that there is a high degree of genetic reliability among every lot that a particular breeder produces.

Baum says that the breeders that Sunbelt has partnered with spent more than 40 years breeding THC varieties of cannabis in Europe. They bring that experience to the global industrial hemp market.

With Goliath, they bred for rich terpene levels that mirrored what customers might find in the THC-dominant cannabis market. Along with its CBD value and other minor cannabinoids, Baum says Goliath makes for a great smokable hemp flower. This will be the first year of Goliath production in Florida, but the seed has performed well through growth cycles in other hot, humid regions, according to Baum.

Jeff Greene, co-founder of the Florida Hemp Council, says that this has been a promising lead for farmers who are new to hemp and facing the question of how to source seeds or starts in a new industry. As the industrial hemp landscape continues to mature, the role of AOSCA will become more visible.

“The certification process on these genetics started long before Florida passed a law requiring it,” Baum says. “The reason behind getting certified was actually for the protection of the farmer. As in other agriculture crops, the AOSCA certification is there to ensure genetic purity and germination rates. … Sunbelt Hemp decided pursue certification as a way to move toward legitimizing the hemp seed supply chain.”

What precedes that legitimacy in hemp is a supply side rife with unmarked mason jars and germination rates hovering around the 50% mark.

Greene says that he’d recently sourced CBG seeds from a seller that came in at a 50% germination rate with a 30% male-to-female ratio. “Under current guidelines, that would be criminal,” he says, remarking on the Florida regulations.

This is where a third party like AOSCA can sort out the mismatched promises and results of a nascent market.

For Florida hemp growers interested in starts, plugs and clones, Greene says that the Florida regulations have become a bit clearer since the USDA first approved the state’s plan to run a hemp program this year.

The earlier rules mandated a quarantine on all starts that came into the state of Florida, a move designed to protect the integrity of the soil and to ward off unwanted pests. Now, Florida will allow starts to come into the state in rock wool, sterilized peat moss and coco.

“You’re able to bring germinated plants into Florida in any of those three media without a quarantine period,” Greene says. “That opened the door, and I know a lot of California genetics companies ended up getting grow houses in south Alabama and south Georgia, so that they could get us germinated [plants]. What that does is it protects the farmer from a germination issue.”

As of mid-2020, the number of states that require some form of seed certification is small—but it is increasing as more states pick up USDA approval for their new 2018 Farm Bill-sanctioned hemp programs. Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota and Rhode Island also require certification.

“It’s going to be easier to fix AOSCA than to fix the old system,” Greene says. “That’s where we landed at the end of last session.” In that time, he adds, the seed rules changed six times before reverting to the AOSCA requirement.

He puts it plainly now: “The industry needs to clean up to AOSCA standards.”

July 16, 2020

The Plight of the One-and-Done Hemp Farmer

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By Joshua Navarro, Esq.

Ninety-four percent of hemp farmers in Arkansas lost money last year according to a recent report by Hemp Industry Daily. Despite this staggering headline, the report went on to outline that both cultivation and processing permits grew in Arkansas for 2020. These assertions beg the question: how many farmers and processors from 2019 returned to the sector in 2020, and how many of these licensees are new to the industry?

In Arkansas, the loss of revenue was evident, with processors outsourcing half of their raw materials, and farmers unable to sell over half of the hemp produced in the state. Broad-stroke conjecture would suggest that many of last year’s farmers were inexperienced, lost money, and got out of the game completely for 2020. Regardless, data shows that a new contingent of farmers and processors in Arkansas is still eager to take their place. Could the same happen in Florida?

In order to avoid becoming a “one-and-done” hemp farmer, one must have a comprehensive business plan that accounts for each of the many potential roadblocks to profitability. Farming in general is a high-risk profession, and with crop insurance being either extremely expensive or hard to find, hemp isn’t exactly risk-averse.

The pathway to success begins, as it often does, with proper preparation. To take lessons from states like Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon, and others: start slow. Unfortunately, the national hemp community is riddled with stories of farmers who literally “bet the farm” on hemp, only for their crops to rot away in warehouses unsold. Many farmers planted without having a contract in place, or were promised contracts that were never fulfilled. The promise of hemp being an “instant” or “easy” cash crop is an illusion that we should all awaken from. The “green rush” mentality of farmers in other states has created a current glut of biomass, with prices plunging as low as three dollars per pound in Oregon recently.

By taking the time to build a framework with a trajectory toward success, Florida hemp farmers can begin to bend the demand curve on biomass and re-energize the supply chain. Unlike Arkansas, which is still operating under a pilot program, the USDA approved Florida’s hemp program this past April. Currently, the Florida Department of Agriculture has already approved over 300 hemp cultivation permits, with many more to come. Advancements in the financial sector have made many banking issues less of a hurdle than a year ago.

A Florida farmer can avoid being “one-and-done” by executing a proper business plan from start to finish, especially in securing necessary contracts. Before anything goes in the ground, look ahead, and have a plan for everything, including: genetics, farming practices, laboratory analysis, possible hot crop mitigation, drying, transportation, and ultimately – a profitable strategy. If you need help with any of these steps, the Florida Hemp Council has members of all sectors involved to get you going in the right direction.

Join now at www.theFLHC.org!

July 15, 2020

Doing Everything Right? You Can Still Get Arrested.

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By Jeff Greene

Let me start by acknowledging that I am not an attorney. This protects me from any meaningful negative feedback from the Bar or other attorneys, judges, and police officers. All that being said, my thoughts and suggestions are my own and if you plan on smoking hemp, growing hemp, manufacturing hemp products, or transporting hemp products, I highly recommend you have The Florida Hemp Council and your attorney on speed dial.

As the industry begins to accelerate, the farmers are starting to realize that demand is not unlimited, and the consumers are starting to realize that hemp can be in almost anything and everything. That means hemp is moving. As a biomass, as a seed, as a start, as a clone, as a distillate, as an isolate and as fiber, hemp can come in various forms. The “safest” are the forms that don’t smell and/or look like a potentially illegal substance. As a subscriber to almost every cannabis legal blog, I hear the horror stories of thousands of pounds of hemp being confiscated under the suspicion that the THC level exceeds maximum requirements.

The three most stressful car rides I have had were: 1) carrying 100 pounds of biomass to an extractor; (2) carrying four kilograms of CBD isolate from UPS to the lab; and (3) carrying 25 pounds of hemp flower from a warehouse to the UPS store. During any of those trips, had an overzealous law enforcement officer pulled me over and searched my car, notwithstanding my rights, I could have been in trouble. The odds of me, as a fifty-something white male getting arrested was probably not that great. But make me 30 years younger and the odds go up, adjust my skin pigmentation a few levels…and the odds go way up. The sad truth remains that either through ignorance, or sheer malice, law enforcement continues to seize completely legal hemp crops (often without probable cause).

Education of law enforcement is paramount in keeping the momentum and getting through this rough patch. State and local laws will continue to be updated but we need consistent messaging coming from the Federal law enforcement bodies. The FDA will be front and center to get there. We are doing our part working with State and local law enforcement and if you plan on being in the hemp space, don’t do it alone.

Visit www.TheFLHC.org for more info.

June 11, 2020

Hemp: Where Do We Go from Here?

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By Jeff Greene

The Florida economy has ground to a halt, except food and basic necessities. These exceptions include hemp. With a small dip in retail initially, Florida’s determination that hemp was a food and therefore essential was a boon for business. Gabe Suarez, founder of Natural Life and a Florida Hemp Council Boardmember stated “our numbers have not changed at some stores and increased at a few others, it seems like the new customers as a result of this crisis are outweighing those we lost due to quarantine.” This hold true with several manufacturers who state that while wholesale account sales have dipped slightly, online sales have more than compensated.

With reports out that 94% of Arkansas farmers lost money last year and the bankruptcies in Colorado and Kentucky in the extraction space, the negative press certainly matches or exceeds the positive. One thing is certain, if you don’t have a network, know the industry and know the plant, the chances of you losing money goes up. If you can mitigate that risk, with 8 billion people globally more stressed, more anxious, more sedentary and more isolated, the market will most certainly increase over the coming years.

Regulatory consistency continues to keep the big players out of the space, but once the FDA gets past the COVID testing and immunization, if they keep in line with global direction, we will begin to see recommended daily allowances of cannabinoids and eliminate the question of how to navigate this space. Once that is done, it will be a mad dash for institutional investors looking for opportunities in the space to make a splash. So far, side effects from using the only FDA regulated cannabinoid is sedation and hepatic impairment. Using cannabis for sedation has been consistent and liver damage has been rare in anecdotal research.

The next push after cannabinoids will be fiber and grain. Whether or not we have economically competitive products will be decided by the market, more environmentally friendly products in the paper and plastic markets will push those markets too. Micro greens in salad, seeds for human consumption and fiber in concrete, insulation and compressed board are all being explored. Institutional boundaries in building and manufacturing are being overcome. Those approval processes for the building industry that take years to navigate and lots of money are nearing conclusion. Hemp will be in our dairy, egg, beef, poultry and pork industries as animal food and horse bedding as soon as the testing to insure that horses don’t absorb tetrahydrocannabinol from hemp bedding is confirmed and that animals that consume hemp don’t have any issues different from humans or any other mammal.

The fear that cotton and paper had in the 1930s that led to hemp prohibition will almost certainly be realized almost one hundred years later. The reason the hemp industry will come out of this pandemic stronger and larger is simple, the cannabis plant is a disruptor. The lock that the FDA has had on medicine and nutrition, the timber industries lock on paper and the petroleum industries lock on plastics will almost definitely be affected with the emergence of hemp based alternatives. The rub on most environmental alternatives is that they are more expensive than their widely accepted alternatives. With federal legalization of hemp farming and the entrepreneurial spirit of Americans, costs could come in competitive or less expensive than their competition.

Whether you are afraid of jumping in to the industry, jumped in and been burned, took advantage of the uncertainty and built a brand or are just getting started. It’s never too late to get involved. We recommend The Florida Hemp Council as your first step in networking.

June 11, 2020

Hemp Transportation: How to Avoid Potential Pitfalls

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By Joshua Navarro, Esq.

As the hemp industry continues to grow in the face of COVID-19, many prospective Florida hemp enterprises are looking to fill gaps in their plans to execute a profitable business strategy. Furthermore, with over 200 hemp cultivator permits already approved by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), local farmers are also looking to gear-up their operations. One integral, oft-overlooked piece of this complex puzzle is the importance of having a quality transportation plan for shipping materials in compliance with state guidelines.

In order to transport any form of hemp into the state of Florida, one must stop at an Agriculture Inspection Station with the proper paperwork on-hand. These agricultural inspection stations have been installed by FDACS to protect Florida agriculture as a whole, as well as to maintain and ensure a safe food supply (hemp is currently considered a food product in Florida). Once at the station, a transporter must provide: (1) a phytosanitary certificate; (2) a certificate of analysis from a third-party accredited testing laboratory showing total THC; and (3) the bill of sale/lading.

For transportation of hemp within the state, FDACS requires hemp materials to be transported in fully enclosed vehicles or containers. In terms of appropriate containers, the Department has suggested simple solutions such as garbage bags with taut draw-strings or tote containers with lids. There also remains an option to transport in a fully-enclosed vehicle with solid walls, or in an appropriately tarped or plastic-lined trailer or truck bed. As with the documents required for importation of hemp, it is imperative to have these same papers on-hand in order to prevent possible issues with law enforcement (especially the certificate of analysis that proves your product is less than 0.3% total THC).

As is good practice for any business, hemp entrepreneurs should be making every effort to ensure that their entire process – including transportation, is documented as much as possible. Kevin Schultz, President of 357 Hemp Logistics and Member of the Florida Hemp Council, said “It is imperative that the hemp industry recognizes transportation as an essential expense that can be extremely risky, and realize that most cargo insurance policies do not cover hemp! It can be a costly, and potentially traumatic lesson to learn for those who make transportation a last-minute priority.”

This especially rings true in a perplexing era in which law enforcement across the country are still routinely stopping and seizing hemp crops and products. The more documentation of legality, transparency, and proof of compliance available, the better. Don’t wait until the last minute, for assistance with transportation logistics: visit 357company.com. To stay updated with all things hemp, become a member of the Florida Hemp Council at www.theFLHC.org today!

Joshua Navarro, Esq., is Operations Director, The Florida Hemp Council.

May 27, 2020

USDA Says $19B Virus Aid Program Won’t Cover Hemp Yet

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Law360 (May 20, 2020, 9:28 PM EDT) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has denied hemp farmers initial access to $19 billion in emergency coronavirus aid, though the agency said Wednesday the crop could become eligible if its price is severely impacted by the pandemic.

Hemp farmers could qualify for aid through the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program if the industry shows prices have dropped 5% or more since the crisis began, according to the agency’s website. That was a change from earlier in the day Wednesday, when hemp and tobacco were explicitly barred from the program.

“We’re really pleased about the change,” U.S. Hemp Roundtable general counsel Jonathan Miller told Law360 Wednesday, saying language excluding hemp was dropped several hours after his group contacted the USDA.

“Hopefully this is a sign that we can demonstrate to the USDA that there has been a significant price disruption and that our farmers should be eligible for their program,” he said.

A USDA spokesperson confirmed the language was changed but declined to comment further.

Direct aid through the program could be a shot in the arm for the hemp industry as it grapples with both the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic and the poor market conditions that preceded it.

Miller said U.S. hemp production has far outstripped demand since the crop was legalized in 2018, forcing farmers to sit on huge stocks of unsold biomass as they wait for buyers. The slow rollout of U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations for hemp-derived CBD and the agency’s overt skepticism of the substance haven’t helped either, Miller said.

“The COVID disruption has only made things worse,” he said. “This kind of support for our farmers would be very valuable for helping them get through this interim period.”

The USDA’s food assistance program targets a host of commodities from soybeans to sorghum. If prices for those crops dropped 5% or more from January to April, producers can tap $19 billion in direct relief from bailout funds through the CARES Act.

Proving the price of hemp has dropped 5% could be a challenge, because unlike most commodity crops, hemp lacks firmly established price benchmarks. Prices for hemp-derived CBD provide a close but still inaccurate indicator, according to National Hemp Industry Association Chair Geoff Whaling.

“We’ve searched the world for prices, but there just aren’t any yet,” he told Law360 Wednesday. “That’s one of the challenges in hemp. CBD prices don’t really help because they don’t represent the whole plant.”

Hemp has fared better than marijuana amid the scramble for trillions of dollars being pumped into the U.S. economy by the federal government. Unlike marijuana companies, for instance, hemp growers are eligible for disaster loans through the Small Business Administration.

Whaling said his organization has been in close contact with the Trump administration and found a receptive ear at the USDA, which he said has been working to include the industry in the relief programs it administers.

–Editing by Amy Rowe.

May 19, 2020

Florida Researchers Hope to Clean Up Polluted Waterways With Hemp

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Based at South Florida State College, two researchers are working to develop a method of hydroponically growing hemp that can not only provide a viable crop but also clean up the state’s algae-filled waterways.

Before its prohibition, hemp had been cultivated on fields across the U.S. for centuries—but Steve Edmonds’ vision of growing it hydroponically on polluted bodies of water might just be a first.

Edmonds has had the idea to clean up waterways using hemp since toxic blue green algae blooms severely invaded Lake Okeechobee in his home state of Florida in 2013. Now that hemp is federally legal to grow, Edmonds, a political science professor at Valencia College, has found a research partner at South Florida State College to carry out an experiment that’s been years in the making.

“I would love to restore Lake Okeechobee to the pristine, sandy-bottomed lake that it was 25 years ago,” Edmonds says. “If I could leave that to my grandchildren, then that would be wonderful.”

A Personal Mission

Lake Okeechobee, called “The Liquid Heart of Florida” by the South Florida Water Management District, helps supply more than 8 million residents with water in the southern part of the state. Algae blooms, some of which are toxic, have become a recurring threat to the state’s largest freshwater lake, which passes the deadly toxins on to connecting waterways and even the Atlantic coast.

Edmonds recalls 2013 as a turning point, when the algae blooms in the lake were so severe that they led to what is now known as “Toxic Summer,” according to National Geographic. He worked to brainstorm ways to not get rid of the algae, but to prevent its bloom in the first place.

“We were trying to figure out what was causing the blooms, and we decided that it was the overload of nutrients in the water,” Edmonds says.

Indeed, a 2015 study by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) has found that high concentrations of nutrients from sewage plants and septic tanks draining into Lake Okeechobee fed the algae and contributed to its explosive growth. The top nutrient offenders, the study found, are nitrogen and phosphorus—which just happen to be two vital nutrients for hemp cultivation.

The point clicked with Edmonds, who has been a long-time cannabis advocate. “If we could grow cannabis on water, we could suck up all the nitrogen and phosphorus,” Edmonds thought.

From there, Edmonds’ non-profit organization Hemp4Water was born.

At that time, Edmonds struggled to realize his mission. Hemp was not yet legal on a federal level, and the water conservation organization he had been involved with at the time wasn’t interested in pursuing an illegal crop.

Edmonds found a friend in Bill Wohlsifer, who ran for Florida Attorney General in 2014. Wohlsifer told Edmonds he’d help give a voice to Hemp4Water on the condition that Edmonds ran his campaign. (Wohlsifer ran as a libertarian.) While Wohlsifer lost, Edmonds says Hemp4Water started to gain traction.

Edmonds became involved with trying to pass hemp legislation through the state, working with lawmakers through various pieces of legislation that were sidelined and tabled.

Then, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) federally legalized hemp.

Getting Started

After that, Edmonds’ mission took off. Through his hemp advocacy, he connected with Kendall Carson, an agricultural program coordinator at South Florida State College, to partner with and carry out the experiment. They received a license in February to cultivate hemp under Florida’s pilot program (before the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a new state plan for Florida) and have been setting up their grow operations ever since.

They selected several different industrial hemp strains to start off with, some of which are “legacy strains” that have been grown in the U.S. for centuries, and others that come from from similar latitudes in China. He adds that he plans to explore at least a dozen other strains over the next couple months to see which one absorbs the most nutrients from the water.
Edmonds and Carson currently have two grow operations set up on a lake at South Florida State College.

The hemp grows on porous mats that can hold up to 36 hemp plants each and allow water to move throughout them freely. Edmonds drilled holes in the mats to drop in clay balls that hold the hemp seeds. Once the seeds mature, their roots will begin growing into the water. “By reaching into the water, the plants uptake nutrients, using it to grow themselves,” Edmonds says.

While Edmonds has a history of hemp advocacy, he also chose the crop because it has a wide variety of end uses. “We’ll be removing nutrients from the water cycle, and we’re using a plant that’s going to have a use afterward,” Edmonds says.

Edmonds and Carson are building off of a Canadian study by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI), which shows that hemp removes a total of 200 kilograms per hectare (about 180 pounds per acre) of nitrogen and about 45 kilograms per hectare (about 40 pounds per acre) of phosphorus from the soil during its growth cycle.

“If we determine a hemp plant can take up those numbers, that’s a home run, and we can do some really amazing things really quickly,” Edmonds says. “If the numbers come in at half, that’s still really good. If they’re at a quarter, it’s worth continuing research to see if we can do it better. Any less than that, and it wouldn’t work out.”

Looking Ahead

The researchers will know by October what their next steps will be.

Edmonds is currently working on setting up a few other locations to grow hemp on waterways, including a private research location and Lake Okeechobee itself. He and Carson will also conduct a terrain study with a quarter-acre for each strain to have land-based numbers for comparison.

Ultimately, Edmonds envisions farmers across Florida—and across the country—using this method to not only provide for themselves, but also restore waterways to their natural conditions.

“The ultimate goal is to clean Lake Okeechobee. If we clean that lake, we will take care of the rest of the hydrology of Florida,” Edmonds says. “Ultimately, I would love to see these floating mats in tens of thousands of acres out in the dead zones of Lake Okeechobee.”

May 11, 2020

Kaycha Labs named First Designated Laboratory for Florida’s Hemp Program

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Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Approves Kaycha Labs for their USDA Approved Hemp Program

May 8th 2020 – Kaycha Labs, a marijuana and hemp testing laboratory company, executed an agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture (FDACS) to become their first Designated Compliance Laboratory, to procure samples for their mandatory compliance testing program and provide required Potency Analysis for the Department of Plant Industry.

Recently, the USDA approved the FDACS Hemp Program that provides for the issuance of Hemp Cultivation Licenses. Florida regulation requires hemp to have compliance samples pulled by a designated approved representative and for those samples to be analyzed for Potency in order to ensure that the cultivated, pre-harvested hemp is within the state and federal guidelines of no more than 0.3% total THC.

When asked about her thoughts on the designation, Cynthia Brewer, Vice President of Kaycha Labs said, “I am thrilled that Florida has created a regulatory framework that incorporates both well-defined procedures and high standards. Everyone benefits – consumers are protected and hemp producers become known for as-advertised, quality product. All of us at Kaycha are looking forward to working with both and the cultivators and the Department of Plant Industry.”

Chris Martinez, President and Co-Founder of Kaycha Labs, added, “We are excited to be awarded this distinction and are very proud to help usher in the implementation of this important program for our home state.”

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Kaycha Labs operates 8 independent cannabis and hemp testing labs in 7 states across the country including Florida, Colorado, California, New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Kaycha has the largest network of accredited testing labs in the cannabis industry and is the recognized leader in providing results within 48-hours with sample automation and technology innovation. For more information about the company or to submit a sample for testing, visit Kaycha Labs at www.KaychaLabs.com.

April 28, 2020

USDA Approves Florida Hemp Program

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Florida’s hemp program bringing the total approved by the agency to 16. The state is set to begin accepting industry applications today.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said the approval gives the state’s agriculture industry “a new alternative crop for many years to come” as the Sunshine State deals with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“After months of incorporating feedback from the public, growers, and industry stakeholders, we are thrilled that Florida’s hemp industry officially begins now. I thank the USDA for their swift review and approval of our state hemp program. By working closely with our farmers, processors, retailers, and consumers, Florida’s state hemp program will become a model for the nation, will set a gold standard for this emerging industry, and will create billions in economic opportunity for Florida.” – Fried in a statement
According to the agency, the USDA approval took less than a week.

Jeff Greene, co-founder of the Florida Hemp Council, told Hemp Grower that while there are many opportunities for prospective hemp farmers – such as CBD, fiber, and grain production – the industry is “trying to establish itself.”

“For the longest time, it was every man out for themselves, survival of the fittest,” Greene said in the report. “I’ve seen with the collaboration of the Florida Hemp Council board and members that the industry is starting to see itself as a real industry – not just a cutthroat, first-come, first-served. That’s what we’ve been pushing.”

Greene said that with 16 state approvals there will be a “bump in supply” but “with shadowbanning … difficulty in export,” and the pandemic, there is “a limitation in demand.”

Under the state’s rules, there are no application fees for hemp cultivation licenses, but the process requires applicants to be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. Individuals convicted of a drug-related felony over the last 10 years are not eligible for a permit.

Programs from three states and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still listed as “under review,” according to USDA data. Another 18 states will keep operating under their 2014 pilot programs, while just two are pending resubmission to the agency. The USDA has also approved hemp programs for 20 Native American tribes.

April 12, 2020

Packaging – The Real China Issue for Hemp

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By Jeff Greene

With patent infringement, product knock offs and government subsidized manufacturing, there is no shortage of reasons to see China as a major issue to American commerce. However, the real issue may come down to packaging. Glass and plastic containers are almost exclusively made in China. Even American made products are often put into Chinese made containers. We take for granted the global supply chains until situations like a Cold War or pandemic occur.

The hemp industry is not immune to this fate. With huge trade show cancellations, there is certainly some panic happening. The thought that cannabinoids work to keep your body in a homeostasis state and a body in balance is less prone to having an immune system compromised seems logical. Needless to say, no medical claims are made here and these thoughts are not vetted by the FDA.

Packaging is currently my biggest concern for our industry. First, until recently I was not aware that Food Grade Containers were different than any other container. That is, until I found out that amber and cobalt blue bottles sourced from China were leaching lead. Lead based paint, banned in the United States in 1972, is being used in China. Perfectly clean CBD products, placed in tainted bottles, heated up while on delivery trucks and sitting on shelfs for weeks or months allows for an elevated lead level that evades testing.

Not necessarily a packaging issue but the additional ingredients in cannabinoid products also must be tested and food grade. Many orange flavorings that are not food grade contain high levels of pesticides.

Vigilance in our industry is greater than just making sure a manufacturer creates a good, clean product and labels it properly. It also makes sure that all ingredients meet food grade quality standards and that containers are food grade quality.

Is this the panic before the calm, or the panic before the storm? Time will tell. The best thing you can do is know who manufacturered your food products and do your due diligence on them.

The Florida Hemp Council (www.TheFLHC.org) can help you with that if this sounds daunting.

April 12, 2020

Hemp Bill Passes in Florida as Amendment to HB 921

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by Eric Stevens

There were many things discussed and considered in the 2020 legislative session regarding hemp, but finally some of these amendments were added to a larger bill and SB 1876 and HB 1063 that had passed all of their committees became amended into House Bill 921.

The main things that changed were the definition of hemp extract, inhaled products are now being allowed for 21+ adults, and GRAS products being exempt. They also removed language regarding products containing less than .3% THC on a dry weight basis. The word packaging was swapped for container too. They also changed all cannabinoids to each marketed cannabinoid. They also approved for new staff and budget.

Some other discussions that were proposed but ultimately did not end up in the final bill included the following. Only having one state advisory group, removing a 12 foot exemption rule, removing requirements for university or certified seeds, adding a measure of uncertainty for THC, disposal rules, reporting rules, removal rules and other considerations about state outsourcing.

In addition to this we saw the new cultivation rules released, inspections begin, and the first hemp food permits given. This year has started off on the right foot for hemp, and despite the uncertainty in regards to all of the recent health scares and events we are very optimistic. We will continue to push for more changes next year and help you know how to best stay compliant this year. Those who are planning and working to get ahead as things get back to normal will have the best opportunities available.

Do your research now. Get prepared and get your food permit now. Get your land prepared now. While you social distance, make sure you sign up as a member at www.theflhc.org and get on our bi-weekly member calls to learn what all of this could mean for you. We will also be having some special upcoming online video presentations, so stay tuned, stay healthy and stay informed. Join us today.

April 10, 2020

Jeff Greene: “Here Are 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”

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With major networks not allowing commercials, social media banning promotion and FDA letters abound on any medical claims, this industry is the definition of creative. What other industry has grown to over $1B in revenue without telling the consumers what it does? Large companies operate in a completely different universe. Our market is gaining acceptance and will be able to be marketed in the traditional ways at some point, for now reaching as many people as possible outside of those avenues has been the challenge. I have seen everything from podcasts, trade shows, industry intrusion with hemp products integrating into smoke and vape shops and then utilizing non-profit associations to assist with education and representation.

As part of my series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Greene.

Jeff founded The Florida Hemp Council (FLHC), a nonprofit organization, in 2019 when he saw a need for a hemp trade association. He recruited Florida hemp industry leaders to help create the organization, which provides structure, networking and support services to the hemp industry in Florida.
The FLHC’s mission is to create a thriving ecosystem aimed at catapulting the Florida hemp industry to the forefront as leaders in hemp and hemp product production. The organization’s goals are to keep licensing fees low, hold manufacturers to the highest testing standards, ensure all consumer disclosures are properly labeled and promote continued research. The FLHC also works to guide farmers so they are not taken advantage of for their land by untrusted seed sellers, and to promote Florida manufacturing for both state and local opportunities. In his role as vice president of marketing, Greene has built the Board of Directors, devised a strategy and plan for the organization’s launch and spearheaded fundraising efforts.

After researching hemp and the endocannabinoid system for several years, Greene began his career in the industry in 2016 with Green Roads of Florida, LLC, an award-winning CBD company. Here, he assisted the company in streamlining operations and working as the director of special projects since 2017. He was also responsible for negotiating a partnership with the University of Florida for hemp research.
In 2016, Greene founded Jeff Greene & Associates, where he serves as a lobbyist and political consultant to this day. Through his organization, Greene has worked on sales tax exemption legislation in Florida for compressed natural gas stations and successfully passed a 5-year exemption. He assisted Green Roads in securing the passage of Florida’s first hemp research bill. In addition, he worked on Florida HB333 and companion SB1058, securing passage of Florida’s hemp commercialization; and has worked with the State of Florida, consulting on the rules for instituting the process. He also represents Green Roads and The Florida Hemp Council on legislative matters.

Prior to that time, Greene was a self-employed political and business consultant, working with Wise Gas to secure over $4 million in grants for Florida municipalities and private entities. In addition, he was a fundraising consultant for several political campaigns.
Most recently, Greene serves as vice president of marketing for Natural Life Franchise Corp., a leading CBD and natural products retail store where he has built the organization, developed a launch and franchise expansion strategy and helped raise funds. He was also the architect behind all legal, marketing, sales, construction and accounting initiatives for the corporation, which launched in early 2020.

Greene is often tapped as a speaker and expert in the hemp/CBD industry. In 2019, he has served as a speaker at the Cannabis Expo in Miami and CBD Expo in Miami; was a participant at the National Industrial Hemp Conference in Portland, Oregon; and was a speaker on Cannabis Life Radio. He has also contributed to High Life magazine, Cannabis News newspaper, and The Shelby Report. Additionally, he was a participant and speaker at numerous Natural Gas conferences during the Wise Gas period.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia; Greene currently resides in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He holds a Bachelor of Science in economics, as well as a minor in finance, from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. His affiliations include being a Broward Addiction Recovery Committee member, appointed by Dr. Barbara Sharief. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and a member Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists.
Thank you so much for joining us Jeff! Can you share with us the story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I had just sold my previous business and I was mentoring some college kids at a nearby university when I found out several of them had started a marketing company that represented a CBD brand. I was not familiar with CBD but had looked at the licenses for medical marijuana several years earlier and determined I was not in a financial position to participate. This seemed like a great way to get into an industry that was in its infancy and I dove in to learn more.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

From meeting Presidential candidates, Governors and dozens, if not hundreds of legislators, I found that the misinformation about the industry was everywhere. The lesson I learned was that there were two kinds of people in the industry, those that talk and those that do.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I don’t know if I would call it the funniest but early in the business, I had invested in a distribution company and we sent four people in their 20’s on a road trip to go to six states’ chiropractic trade shows over three weeks in a 15-passenger van. It was the most cost-effective way to get our message out there and the kids made memories they will never forget.

One other funny story was I was visiting a store in Tallahassee when I first started and I had heard that smoking hemp gave you a headache and diarrhea. So, I walk in and the store owner tells me his best-selling products are hemp flower for smoking. I was shocked. I told him what I had read and he completely changed my understanding. Hemp flower is now just another method of consumption.

Are you working on any exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am working on half a dozen projects at the moment. Educating farmers, educating consumers and helping businesses be compliant are the guiding lights of my direction. I think the Hemp plant is a disruptive plant that can change the world. Cannabinoids can create a population of people that are encouraging their body’s homeostasis. Creating plants that clean the soil. Creating textiles that use less water to clean. Creating bio-plastics that are eco-friendly and do not fill our landfills. Creating paper products that do not require the destruction of our rain forests. These are just a few ways hemp can help.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
This industry is relationship driven. I can not count the number of people that have helped me along the way. If I mentioned one, all the others would be upset. If you are wanting to get into this industry, do your homework. Do your best to understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. I would tell you that if someone says they know everything about the industry I would run from them. Things change in this industry so fast that you can feel like you know something and the next week it will change to completely the opposite.

This industry is young dynamic and creative. Do you use any clever and innovative marketing strategies that you think large legacy companies should consider adopting?
With major networks not allowing commercials, social media banning promotion and FDA letters abound on any medical claims, this industry is the definition of creative. What other industry has grown to over $1B in revenue without telling the consumers what it does? Large companies operate in a completely different universe. Our market is gaining acceptance and will be able to be marketed in the traditional ways at some point, for now reaching as many people as possible outside of those avenues has been the challenge. I have seen everything from podcasts, trade shows, industry intrusion with hemp products integrating into smoke and vape shops and then utilizing non-profit associations to assist with education and representation.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the Cannabis industry? Can you share 3 things that most concern you?
Three things I am most excited about:
I can’t wait to see how big the industry is going to get
I look forward to being accepted on social media
I look forward to being able to see a hemp/cbd commercial on a network at primetime.

Three things I am most concerned about:
I hope we don’t overpromise and under deliver to our farmers.
I hope the demand curve is bent through either marketing or exportation before the supply curve kills half the industry.

I hope the pharmaceutical industry and the medical marijuana industry stay in their lane and let us grow.
Can you share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

I wish someone had told me that everything costs twice as much as you expect and takes twice as long. In almost every venture, we start out with expectations derived from other industries and invariably permitting or construction or negotiations with landlords, insurance, banking, credit card processing, lawyers all take twice as long and thus cost twice as much.

Whether cannabis or any other business, being self employed is the hardest job on the planet but the most rewarding. My wife helps me balance my life, but without her I would be a workaholic. I love what I do, but it can consume you if you let it.

Live within your means. I made my first million in my late twenties and I tell everyone, it ate me alive. I lived extravagantly, bought bigger everything and lived the dream of being in the right neighborhood and driving the right car and having two kids and that went up in smoke. By definition, working in this industry requires a certain amount of risk tolerance. But operate thoughtfully and responsibly, don’t take advantage of others and do your absolute best and things will go well for you. Don’t believe everything you hear. I have been approached by dozens of dreamers, that promise the moon and get my hopes up. If something sounds too good to be true, generally it is. Live your best life. I am able to go to bed every night knowing I am doing my absolute best. There is no better feeling.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?
Don’t get upset if your top salespeople make more money than you do in the first few years. Sales is the life blood of an organization and I have seen several companies go away because a jealous founder could not get out of their own way.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The movement that I am a part of already is Hemp. I have always been a disruptor — this industry defines that.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
I am on Facebook and LinkedIn. I have an instagram but I never go on it.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloridaHempCouncil/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floridahempcouncil/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/floridahempcouncil

March 26, 2020

Full-Spectrum Hemp Oil vs. CBD

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There are so many terms related to CBD that it can sometimes get a little confusing. One odd thing I noticed over the last year is that my favorite CBD gummies were suddenly marketed as containing “full-spectrum” or “broad-spectrum” hemp oil and mentions of cannabidiol or CBD significantly waned.

Did all of those CBD products I love change? What is full-spectrum hemp oil, anyway? I set out to investigate.

First, let’s clear up some CBD terminology

You are likely already aware of the difference between CBD, a cannabinoid taken from the hemp plant that contains a wide range of health benefits but zero intoxicating effects, and THC, which is the intoxicating (and also medicinal) compound. They are both strains of the same plant, Cannabis Sativa, but the main difference is that hemp has been bred to contain very little THC.

Then we have hemp seed oil, which is a wonderful oil by its own rights, especially in cooking or skincare, but it contains little to no THC or CBD.

So then, what on earth is full-spectrum hemp oil?

Derek Thomas, Vice President of Business Development at Veritas Farms, explains that (unlike the seed oil) full-spectrum hemp oil is extracted from the entire plant (and technically doesn’t count as an oil – it’s an extract); so, in addition to CBD, it also contains a wide range of other cannabinoids.

“There are many cannabinoids found in hemp. CBD, yes, but also CBG, CBN and CBC to name a few.” He says, “When you have all of the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids working together as a team (unlike in CBD isolate products), they produce what is called the Entourage Effect.”

The specific phytocannabinoid makeup of full-spectrum hemp oil will differ from brand to brand, because these natural compounds exist in different concentrations in different plants. Full-spectrum hemp oil can include some THC, though legally it should never be more than the FDA limit of 0.3%, so it is not psychoactive.

Jeff Greene, the Florida Hemp Council’s Co-Founder and Director of Business Development, notes that there are instances when even that tiny amount of THC can be a problem, and pure CBD might be preferred. “CBD is an isolated molecule. CBD Isolate is used when no THC can be found in a product. For instance, these products are marketed to pilots, first responders, truck drivers, etc.”

The Entourage Effect

The entourage effect is the term for the synergistic effect the different cannabinoids and terpenes (i.e. aromatic compounds) in the hemp plant have; or, in other words, it’s the idea that they work better when used together.

Originally, this process referred to the way the different cannabinoids (especially CBD) were able to temper the effect of THC. Nowadays, it also refers to the way they influence the human endocannabinoid system when little-to-no THC is present.

Quick reminder: The endocannabinoid system refers to the cannabinoid-like compounds that we naturally produce in the human body as well as the receptors that react to them. These receptors also react when cannabinoids come into the body from the outside, like from a full-spectrum hemp tincture. The endocannabinoid system is involved in a wide range of physiological processes

So did brands simply start using more full-spectrum hemp seed oil than before, or did something change?

Thomas thinks that companies have indeed shifted towards using more full-spectrum hemp oil. “The greater factors behind the increase in marketing of full-spectrum hemp oil are consumer and investor interest in the category.” However, there might also be more to it, and he thinks it is possible that sometimes full-spectrum hemp is marketed by brands instead of CBD as an attempt to navigate a challengingly ambiguous state regulation.

Greene also thinks regulation might have a part. The FDA is currently still exploring CBD regulations, and the language focuses on CBD as an isolate. “Due to having a currently approved drug that includes CBD, the FDA has determined that CBD is a drug ingredient,” he explains. “Due to the mass appeal of CBD and their limited enforcement capabilities, the FDA has focused on companies that make medical claims but that does not ease the industry’s concerns.”

This has led some brands to focus on full-spectrum hemp oil, perhaps mistakenly, and to avoid mentions of CBD in their products. Greene expects that there will be a change soon. “The FDA will eventually make a decision as to how to regulate CBD and hopefully the rest of the cannabinoids for nutritional or medical purposes.”

Tips for Choosing a Full-Spectrum Hemp Product

While full-spectrum hemp oil has become the more popular method for taking CBD, its complex makeup and the risk of mislabeling means that choosing the right product can be a little more complicated. In a worst case scenario, full-spectrum hemp oil can contain any number of harmful contaminants.

This is why Thomas recommends taking extra precautions, especially when it comes to ingestible formats of CBD. Before purchasing, look for a certificate of analysis from a third party, ISO certified lab, and make sure it matches the lot number of the product.

But what should you look for? “Make sure it tests cannabinoids, terpenes, pest/fungi/herbicides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and residual solvents.”

When buying from reputable retailers, this information should be readily available on their website, so you can enjoy full-spectrum hemp oil while knowing exactly what is in it.

March 16, 2020

New Bill Means Big Things for Florida Hemp Industry

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While it may seem like the world has come to a grinding halt amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, that is not entirely the case. Americans are still at work and trying to maintain their every day lives as best they can. Lobbyists and activists are the last group we would expect to put everything on pause during the crisis we are facing. One group that has triumphed in this unusual times is The Florida Hemp Council.

The group saw a victory with the passing of the bill HB 921 in the Florida Senate and House. The bill addresses a variety of concerns in the agricultural industry, but the late amendments brought about some much needed reforms in the hemp industry.

We discussed the passing of the bill with co-founder of The Florida Hemp Council, Jeff Greene, in order to get a better understanding of the effects that this bill would yield.

Photo via The Florida Hemp Council

What Does this Bill Mean for the Hemp Industry?
The most apparent effect of this bill to the consumer will be recognizable right on the packaging of hemp products. The removal of the “rigid wording requirements” put in place by Florida legislature will allow for clearer labeling. Nationwide there are currently 12 different labels required for hemp products. Greene hopes that this move by the Florida government will trigger reform across the country and lead to some uniformity.

The second, and arguably most important effect, is the impact this bill will have in hemp research — something which Dr Dan Connors (who we spoke to prior to this bill passing) would certainly be excited about. Greene told us that the language approved in this bill would allow for more research into plant genetics and will help determine what can be farmed in the hot, humid and rainy Florida climate. In the long term, this could have a massive ripple effect on the state economy. By no longer having to outsource farming to other states, the Florida agricultural industry could see a boom.

Another benefit to staying in line with the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) as far as language goes, is that it opens the door to redefining language used by the FDA, DEA and USDA. The Florida Hemp Council’s next step in this regard is to “redefine the term destruction and increase research on fiber and other parts of the plant that can expand usage.”

The last major effect of this bill on the hemp industry, according to Greene, comes from the relaxation of certain regulations. Now, hemp products that fall under the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) designation from the FDA will be exempt from stringent testing and labeling. This would then allow “seeds and micro-greens to be sold in mainstream grocery stores without disruption … Since these products are not subject to THC or contaminant concerns, this would have been over-burdensome and potentially catastrophic to that segment of our industry.”

What Else is in this Bill?
As with any bill, there are always several issues being addressed. HB 921 is no exception to that rule. Unlike the COVID-19 bill making headlines for its inclusion of new abortion restrictions, this bill is straightforward. Everything unrelated to hemp in the bill falls under the umbrella of the Department of Agriculture.

The other aspects of the bill that address the State Hemp Program handle the reclassification of certain violations and age restrictions. In another noteworthy change, the bill states that “hemp extract sold in violation of the law shall be considered adulterated or misbranded.” This will allow hemp manufacturers a little more leeway and prevent them from operating in the legal gray area that they have been occupying to this point.

As far as everything else is concerned, farmers no longer have to deal with the restrictions previously in place for transporting agricultural loads. Forest Service Fire Fighters are now required to undergo more training, something that may be very necessary after the wildfire in the Everglades we saw in 2019.

Regulations and requirements surrounding Recreational Vehicles and their accompanying licenses were addressed in detail. The state government also set themselves up to come down on those who are using the Aquaculture label inappropriately. You can check out the full breakdown of HB 921 here.

What’s Next?
It is expected for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to sign the bill into law in the coming days. For the hemp industry, we can expect more research and the empowerment of smaller companies and Florida farmers. Below is a full statement on the passing of HB 921 from Jeff Greene.

“At The Florida Hemp Council, we are happy with the result of the passing of HB 921. A late amendment to the bill allowed for important adjustments to the Hemp program in Florida. By exempting GRAS products and maintaining certain exemptions, we are able to cater to our small retailers and grocery store members. We were also able to keep order in the seed program for our farming members. Lastly, we are pleased to see that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services received funding for 43 new employees. I would consider this session a win for the Florida hemp industry and am hopeful that Governor DeSantis will sign off, as planned.”

March 13, 2020

Budget conference: Agreement reached on funding of state hemp program

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The House and Senate have agreed to a $4.36 million funding agreement for a state industrial hemp program.

That’s movement on the part of the House, which a few days ago was not yet ready to accept the Senate budget for the program.

But considering Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican, served as the chief architect of the program, it remained a high priority for the upper chamber in negotiations. Bradley serves on the industrial hemp advisory council.

Bradley said in a statement there is “a great deal of opportunity, both for Florida’s agricultural community and our economy, that comes with the production of industrial hemp in our state.”

It appears he’s convinced House Appropriations Chair Rep. Travis Cummings, a Clay County Republican, to hop on the hemp bandwagon.

The money will be used to fund 43 full time employees.

The program is seen as key in getting the industrial hemp business growing in Florida. Up until now, the more fragile strains used for CBD oil and that must be grown in greenhouse environments has been the more popular cash crop in the short time legal hemp has been a legal option.

But Florida farmers say the potential exists for industrial hemp to be used for countless products including textiles.

“What we are seeing is a maturation of an industry. In its infancy stage, CBD is what birthed it,” Jeff Greene, of the Florida Hemp Council told Florida Politics earlier this Session.

“But because of hemp’s legalization now and the ability for scientists and practitioners to do their due diligence, we are finding the plants can be used for hundreds if not thousands of things.”

Legislation approved by the House (SB 1876) regarding the hemp program is still sitting in Senate messages. There remains a significant difference between the chambers regarding the sale and cultivation of various kinds of hemp seeds.

March 13, 2020

Isolate or Distillate – Do You Know Your CBD?

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Whether you have been taking CBD for a day or a year, chances are you may have never heard the term isolate and distillate. In simple terms, when a molecule such as CBD has gone through the distillation process and then through a chromatography machine then each molecule has been isolated. However, due to the anecdotal information about an “entourage effect” meaning the effect of multiple cannabinoids working better than isolate, many companies have chosen to use distillate.

The other confusing element to this topic is that there can be full spectrum distillate, with all available cannabinoids and T-Free Distillate whereby presumably all of the delta-9 THC and THCa has been removed.

The risk of products using distillate is that due to the unknowns of the plant and science, THC can show up even in a T-Free distillate if small portions of THCa remained and somehow were decarboxylated, also known as heated.

Realizing that this entire article can be very confusing, the simple reason for this article was to recommend to anyone that is uncomfortable having THC in their system, due to drug tests or any other reason – you should use only products made from isolate.

If there is any doubt you should be able to contact your supplier and they should be able to tell you or join the Florida Hemp Council and we can help.

February 16, 2020

Sixty Days for 2.12.20 — A prime-time look at the 2020 Legislative Session

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After reviewing and adopting amendments, the Senate moved its $92.8 billion budget to third reading, setting the stage for a vote Thursday. The budget is about $1.4 billion larger than the plans put forward by the House and Gov. Ron DeSantis, and the gaps are present in some key areas — the Senate fully funds the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund with $387 million and $52.5 million for VISIT FLORIDA — two positions where the House diverges, offering $144 million and zero dollars respectively. And though teacher pay increases are funded similarly in both legislative proposals, their divergence from the Governor’s math ensures there will be no shortage of debate through the final hankie drop. Here’s your nightly rundown.

February 16, 2020

This local Publix is state-approved to sell you edibles (or legal pseudo-edibles)

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Shopping will be more of a pleasure for some Publix customers now that at least one store has the now-required Hemp Food Establishment license from the state to sell hemp and CBD edibles.

That’s the Miami Beach Publix in the Sunset Harbour area of South Beach, 1920 West Ave. A Thursday focused inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture announced the change:

“Food Establishment manufactures, processes, packs, holds, prepares or sells food products intended for human consumption that contain hemp, hemp extract, CBD or other cannabinoids. FE permit type changed to Hemp Food Establishment during this visit.”

February 16, 2020

Hemp overhaul bill passes first committee, slated for second

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A Senate panel took the first step Tuesday toward overhauling the state’s hemp program, which has been marred by a rocky rollout.

Sen. Bill Montford‘s bill (SB 1876) includes in several recommendations by the Department of Agriculture to clarify regulations around the program approved last year.

The Tallahassee Democrat’s measure would exempt “safe” seeds, as defined by USDA, and synthetic CBD from the definition of hemp extract. And it would add hemp to the Florida Food Safety Act and require small retailers selling hemp products to obtain food permits.

October 1, 2019

Lots of Athletes Say CBD Is a Better Painkiller. Is It?

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There’s almost no data on how the cannabis extract works in humans, but the sports world is embracing it anyway.

In his eight seasons in the National Hockey League, Riley Cote estimates he got into hundreds of fistfights. Cote was an enforcer—a tough guy whose job was to keep the other team’s players in check. If an opponent got too physical on the ice, Cote would put him in line.

He retired in 2010, having sustained repeated trauma to his brain and body. Cote suffered from chronic pain, and worried what might happen to his battered mind as he aged. Then in 2013, he tried cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD. “It’s been a game changer for sure,” Cote says. Now he reports he uses it at least twice a day.

October 1, 2019

Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, Big Paper, and Now Big Oil

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It’s no wonder hemp was made illegal, hemp is the disruptor of the century.

Big Ag has control over strains of corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and virtually every other thing you put on your dinner table. Conversely, hemp is flourishing without their control and our industry is scrambling to ensure they won’t abuse it. However, eventually the best strains will gain notoriety and earn the lion’s share of the money and I expect whomever controls those strains will join the Big Ag community.

Big Pharma uses the FDA to keep natural remedies out of the marketplace with logical concerns of safety and efficacy. CBD has luckily bucked this trend and thanks to the removal of hemp from the controlled substance list, its evident part of the industry will avoid the controlled research necessary to fall under the Big Pharma purview. Excitingly, Epidiolex has advanced through clinical trials and soon other medicines with THC and CBD ingredients will follow this path. The FDA has expressed concern over extended use of these elements for liver toxicity and sedation. In the future, I see low dose OTC CBD widely available and higher dose CBD, by prescription, in the next five years.

September 27, 2019

Billions in Hemp Risks Rotting on Farms in Processing Bottleneck

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The euphoria from the burgeoning prospects of U.S. hemp, grown as an alternative to mainstream crops caught in a trade war, has turned to caution.

In the first year of widespread commercial cultivation, hemp planting quadrupled as growers sought a profitable alternative to crops such as soybeans ensnared in the U.S.-China trade dispute. The hemp-derived compound cannabidiol, known as CBD, has a non-psychoactive cannabis ingredient at the center of a wellness trend sweeping the nation, showing up in everything from beauty products to dietary supplements.

While Congress approved hemp cultivation, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t cleared CBD yet for use in food and drinks, and the murky regulatory environment has limited expansion in the processing sector. Delta Separations, a Cotati, California-based manufacturer with booming sales of extraction machines used to make CBD, estimated that as much as $7.5 billion in hemp may rot on farms.

August 15, 2019

Florida Hemp Council Launches

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The Florida Hemp Council (FLHC) has been formed by represent-atives of industry leaders: Blue Moon Hemp, Blume Hemp, Evello Global, Evio Labs, GenCanna Global, Green Roads, Mission Lago Farms, Natural Life and Veritas Farms. The Florida Hemp Council is a working group of farmers, processors, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and professionals dedicated to the future production of all hemp products.

According to newly appointed FLHC Executive Director Eric Stevens, the nonprofit’s mission is to work collectively toward creating an ecosystem that will catapult the Florida Hemp industry and those who support it to the forefront as the leader in Hemp production. The vision of the organization is to have all channels of the state’s economic engine represented from farmers to retailers with everything represented in between.

“This is truly a pivotal time for Hemp in Florida as we formally announce the establishment of this futurist association and its founding members of trailblazing leaders in the current market,” shared Stevens. “Hemp is projected to become a multi-billion dollar industry in Florida and The Florida Hemp Council has been formed to showcase and promote the ‘good actors’ in the industry and assist the State in holding the ‘bad actors’ accountable.

Webinars

News

The BiPolarity of Cannabis in Florida Hemp & Medical Cannabis

Florida Growers Seek AOSCA-Certified Hemp Seed Under State Law

The Plight of the One-and-Done Hemp Farmer

Doing Everything Right? You Can Still Get Arrested.

Hemp: Where Do We Go from Here?

Hemp Transportation: How to Avoid Potential Pitfalls

USDA Says $19B Virus Aid Program Won’t Cover Hemp Yet

Florida Researchers Hope to Clean Up Polluted Waterways With Hemp

Kaycha Labs named First Designated Laboratory for Florida’s Hemp Program

USDA Approves Florida Hemp Program

Packaging – The Real China Issue for Hemp

Hemp Bill Passes in Florida as Amendment to HB 921

Jeff Greene: “Here Are 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”

Full-Spectrum Hemp Oil vs. CBD

New Bill Means Big Things for Florida Hemp Industry

Budget conference: Agreement reached on funding of state hemp program

Isolate or Distillate – Do You Know Your CBD?

Sixty Days for 2.12.20 — A prime-time look at the 2020 Legislative Session

This local Publix is state-approved to sell you edibles (or legal pseudo-edibles)

Hemp overhaul bill passes first committee, slated for second

Lots of Athletes Say CBD Is a Better Painkiller. Is It?

Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, Big Paper, and Now Big Oil

Billions in Hemp Risks Rotting on Farms in Processing Bottleneck

Florida Hemp Council Launches

Events

Florida Hemp: Post-Shutdown...

It’s Complicated: Wor...

Harvesting Hemp with Corbet...

Florida Hemp: Fertilizer &#...

Tech Talk with IEC Thermo

Florida Hemp: Interested Fa...

DEMYSTIFYING EXTRACTION: We...

Hemp Drying Basics: Webinar...

Onward: the State of the Fl...

USA CBD Expo Atlanta

Medical Marijuana Summit

Benzinga 2020 Cannabis Capi...

Meet the Marijuana Companie...

A Review of Florida’s...

UF Hemp Update (Gainesville)

Broward MMAB First Responde...

UF Dinner Miami ($150/seat)

Cannabis Business Awards

Cannabis: Law, Accounting &...

FL Industrial Hemp Conferen...

The BiPolarity of Cannabis in Florida Hemp & Medical Cannabis

Florida Growers Seek AOSCA-Certified Hemp Seed Under State Law

The Plight of the One-and-Done Hemp Farmer

Doing Everything Right? You Can Still Get Arrested.

Hemp: Where Do We Go from Here?

Hemp Transportation: How to Avoid Potential Pitfalls

USDA Says $19B Virus Aid Program Won’t Cover Hemp Yet

Florida Researchers Hope to Clean Up Polluted Waterways With Hemp

Kaycha Labs named First Designated Laboratory for Florida’s Hemp Program

USDA Approves Florida Hemp Program

Packaging – The Real China Issue for Hemp

Hemp Bill Passes in Florida as Amendment to HB 921

Jeff Greene: “Here Are 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Leading a Cannabis Business”

Full-Spectrum Hemp Oil vs. CBD

New Bill Means Big Things for Florida Hemp Industry

Budget conference: Agreement reached on funding of state hemp program

Isolate or Distillate – Do You Know Your CBD?

Sixty Days for 2.12.20 — A prime-time look at the 2020 Legislative Session

This local Publix is state-approved to sell you edibles (or legal pseudo-edibles)

Hemp overhaul bill passes first committee, slated for second

Lots of Athletes Say CBD Is a Better Painkiller. Is It?

Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, Big Paper, and Now Big Oil

Billions in Hemp Risks Rotting on Farms in Processing Bottleneck

Florida Hemp Council Launches