Florida Senate Passes Hemp Bill Without THC Caps

A hemp bill that includes no THC caps on products has passed the Florida Senate, Florida Politics reports. The proposal still includes age limits on purchasing hemp products that contain THC and a ban on packaging that is “attractive to children.”

The bill that was first introduced in the state House included a limit of 0.5 milligrams of THC per dose and 2 milligrams per container. The measure does not include regulations for topicals, such as creams, lotions, shampoos, or other non-ingestible hemp products.

Hemp businesses in Florida had opposed the House measure, saying it would be detrimental to the state hemp industry.

Matthew Schwarmann, the president of Outpost Brands, a hemp manufacturing company in Daytona Beach, told WESH that the age limits and packaging rules in the bill “makes sense” but that the regulations included in the House measure do “nothing but destroy the entire hemp industry and hand it right over to medical marijuana companies.”

“This has never killed anyone. We can regulate this to 21 plus to protect the kids but don’t destroy the entire industry. There’s nothing to be gained from that.” — Schwarmann to WESH 

A report by Whitney Economics suggests that Florida’s hemp industry employs more than 100,000 people and generates $3.5 billion in wages. A survey of hemp industry operators in the state found that 67% of respondents said restrictions included in the House bill would force them out of business.

The Senate version of the bill moves next to the House.