\u201cI am calling on Congress to update the Law to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on, and that help them, while preserving Congress\u2019s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose Health risks,\u201d Trump posted on his Truth Social page on April 23.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must get this done RIGHT and FAST, especially for those who saw that CBD helps them. Plus, I am told it will also help our GREAT FARMERS, who we love, and will always be there for. Please get it done, and SOON.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Shiffman is CEO of Amigos, a South Florida hemp-derived THC brand, as well as Tillman Tranquils, which offers edibles, gummies and mints. He\u2019s played by the rules since hemp became legalized in Florida in 2019, he said\u2014he\u2019s paid his fees, passed state inspections, made improvements and updated packaging materials per the regulations the Legislature approved in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to build a business by the book and then having the rug pulled out by new legislation is a scary thing for any business, especially a small business here in Florida for us and for our employees,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Shiffman is confident that because of the directives coming out of the White House, a permanent ban isn\u2019t likely to happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate to say it, but the category\u2019s too big to fail,\u201d he said. \u201cThe consumer demand is there. The infrastructure is in place. I don\u2019t think that it\u2019s going anywhere. It\u2019s a matter of when and how we get regulated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jammie Treadwell\u2019s family has had roots in Florida agriculture for more than a century and still grows citrus, peaches and blueberries. The family made a hard pivot to hemp after it was legalized in the state, launching Treadwell Farms in 2019. Hemp is a \u201cperfect plant\u201d for Florida because it can be grown year-round and allowed the family to take its agriculture legacy into the next generation, she said.<\/p>\n
But agriculture is a tough business and, after surviving hurricanes and the deepest freeze in 16 years in January, she said, farmers are watching their pocketbooks more than ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to sound dramatic, but it could very well put us out of business,\u201d she said of the pending ban. \u201cOur business has grown every year, but we\u2019re still a small business and there\u2019s only so many hits that you can take. And so, for us to reformulate everything and potentially lose some of the products that are good sellers? I mean, it\u2019s a daunting thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on June 24, calling on Congress to revise the federal regulation of hemp<\/a> \u201cto ensure the fair treatment of hemp products,\u201d similar to an amendment filed by Kentucky House Republican Andy Barr called the \u201cLawful Hemp Protection Act,\u201d which would overhaul the pending hemp restrictions with a taxed and regulated framework.<\/p>\n That legislation includes establishment of a three-tier distribution system for hemp-derived beverages, modeled on the distribution system used for alcohol\u2014something Smith with Herbal Flow doesn\u2019t want any part of.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pushing into alcohol regulation,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir whole claim is that it\u2019s an intoxicating beverage so it should be treated like that but, at the end of the day, they don\u2019t have child-resistant tops on Bacardi 151,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re able to put out Hard Mountain Dew and SunnyD without any label restrictions in that sense,\u201d he added. \u201cSo, they\u2019re not really treating us like alcohol, but they want to treat us as alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n If the federal ban were lifted or delayed, it would open another lifeline to Florida hemp entrepreneurs who have dodged potential existential threats to their livelihoods in recent years.<\/p>\n States have already banned or restricted intoxicating hemp<\/p>\n The Legislature approved a proposal to restrict intoxicating hemp products and sent it to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)<\/a> two years ago, which he vetoed. In his message, DeSantis said the bill would have imposed \u201cdebilitating regulatory burdens on small businesses\u201d and done \u201cdramatic disruption and harm\u201d to retail businesses.<\/p>\n After that close call, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) announced just ahead of the 2025 legislative session that he was creating a \u201ccombined workgroup\u201d on hemp<\/a>. Although not tasked with producing any specific policies, the workgroup concluded its meetings by saying that although members didn\u2019t want changes that could destroy the industry, the status quo had to change in terms of hemp\u2019s regulatory framework.<\/p>\n Ultimately, key differences between the Senate and House bills prevented any legislation making it way back to DeSantis that year.<\/p>\n Contrast that with the fact that hemp-based intoxicants are already illegal or heavily regulated in more than a dozen states.<\/p>\n The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees the hemp industry in Florida. The Phoenix reached out to the office to ask where Commissioner Wilton Simpson stands on the impending ban, but his office did not respond to two attempts for comment.<\/p>\n
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