On June 25, 2019, SB 1020, the state hemp legislation was signed into law.

Florida Signs New Hemp Bill

Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried offered the following statement, “Tonight’s hemp bill signing marks a transformation in Florida, and a critical step on the journey to creating a green industrial revolution, strengthening agriculture with an alternative crop of the future, and expanding access to safe, quality CBD products. For months, our department has been developing rules and gathering public input, and we’re hitting the ground running to build a state hemp program that will be a model for the country. Florida has the potential to become the gold standard on hemp – our deep agricultural heritage, climate and resources, and farming infrastructure will make Florida a national leader in this emerging new economy.”

The new state hemp program will be finalized in the coming months.

Hemp and Florida’s Agriculture

With over 25,000 uses including environmentally-conscious products and biocomposite industrial materials like hempcrete, food additives and cosmetics, and medicinal products and CBD, cannabis is estimated to become a multi-billion dollar industry in Florida, with the potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the coming decade.

In February, Commissioner Fried appointed Holly Bell as Florida’s first Director of Cannabis to oversee the department’s state hemp program.