Hemp’s healing hype has farmers high on crop
TALLAHASSEE — Hemp has been hyped as a lifesaver for some Florida farmers, touted as a versatile crop that can be used to build houses, feed livestock and make clothing.
But it’s the plant’s healing qualities that have sparked a second cannabis “green rush,” as the state’s hemp program gets off the ground.
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of the cannabinoids found in the plant What differentiates hemp from its cohort marijuana is the amount of euphoria-inducing THC.
State and federal law defines “industrial hemp” as cannabis that has 0.3% or less tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Cannabis plants that have more than that amount of THC are marijuana.
While marijuana remains illegal under federal law, Congress last year decriminalized industrial hemp as an agricultural product, allowing states like Florida to begin regulating the plant.
Following up on the federal action, Florida lawmakers this authorized a statewide hemp program and gave oversight of the crop to Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
Fried, a Broward County Democrat elected in November, had already branded herself as the Sunshine State’s cannabis regulator, making expanded patient access to medical marijuana a cornerstone of her campaign last year and continuing that crusade since taking office in January.
Fried in February appointed Holly Bell as the state’s first “director of cannabis,” three months before the Legislature handed hemp over to the agriculture agency.
While hemp can be grown for many purposes, Bell said she expects most Florida growers to cultivate flowering plants that will be used for CBD extraction, at least at the outset.
Bell, a former banker who took over as Florida’s cannabis czar after playing a role in Tennessee’s hemp industry, said market research shows countrywide demand for hemp is anticipated to be “in the high double digits over the next few years.”
She estimates that as many as 3,000 growers will line up when agriculture department begins accepting applications for the program.
Widespread interest in hemp was evident this summer, when 900 people flocked to three rulemaking workshops as Fried’s department crafts regulations to govern the industry.
Bell and other enthusiasts extol medicinal qualities of CBD.
“I tell people it’s the new ibuprofen. It comes from a plant, and doesn’t affect your liver the way ibuprofen does,” said Bell, adding that she’s used it to reduce her blood pressure and relieve arthritis-related pain.
Under Florida’s new system, hemp extract produced in the state will have to undergo thirdparty testing to make sure it is safe for human consumption.
To participate in the hemp program, farmers have to be licensed by Fried’s department. Under state and federal law, hemp growers can only use seeds and cultivars that are “certified by a certifying agency” or a university participating in an industrial hemp pilot project.
Bell said she expects the state’s initial hemp farmers to start off small, with 5- to 25-acre fields, so they can get acclimated to a plant that hasn’t been grown legally in Florida for almost a century.
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