TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – CBD products and sales will now be monitored by state regulators in Florida.
CBD has been popular in the Sunshine State for some time but sales of infused products have proceeded without government oversight. Now, with new regulations having taken effect January 1, Florida’s Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried is looking to provide adequate oversight and consumer protections for CBD products.
The lack of oversight has presented major issues for law enforcement with authorities viewing the legality of CBD as murky. The new regulations have been implemented to change that.
“Prior to these rules being adopted and taking effect, we didn’t have regulatory authority. Now we do, and we have that up and going so that we can make sure consumers are protected,” Fried’s cannabis director, Holly Bell said according to Sun-Sentinel.
Agents from Fried’s office are visiting CBD retailers across the state to ensure compliance with the new regulations. Inspectors are analyzing products for a number of reasons including pesticide use, packaging, and labeling information.
“[Inspectors] are going out, looking at what’s on the shelf and if you are not compliant with those labeling laws, you will be given a certain amount of time to become compliant,” Bell said.
Ashley Guy, owner of Tallulah CBD + Juice Bar, is embracing the new regulations. She said she is skeptical of some of the “sketchy” products available and would like to see them removed from the market.
“I hope they do yank them too because there are a lot of really bad products out there,” she said. “You don’t know where the CBD’s coming from. It could be China. It could be junk. … We don’t even know. If you’re putting something in your body, it should be a good product.”
Retailers have between thirty to forty-five days to comply with the new rules. Some shop owners may “find it challenging” to eliminate products from their inventory while staying afloat financially according to Jeff Sharkey, president of the Hemp Industries Association of Florida.
“This is a whole major industry that’s now coming online in Florida. It’s a big state. And CBD is very popular. So yeah, it will take a major effort from not only from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, but a lot of people in this industry,” Sharkey said.