--- title: Florida Legislature Passes Business Friendly Hemp Program on Last Day of Regular Session description: The Florida Legislature passed a bill to implement a hemp program in the state in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill on the last day of the legislative session, May 3, 2019. The new law will require the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish a licensing and oversight program for the cultivation, distribution […] image: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66525ec138843cc1ccb1c325/68c301ebaa36be33aa2af8f7_1a3f16114a452999cc4d7d6b36ae1602_Obedio%20march%20of%20progress.png --- [Skip to content](https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/2019/05/04/2019-5-4-florida-legislature-passes-business-friendly-hemp-program-on-last-day-of-regular-session#main-content) [![Obedio logo with black text and an orange graphic composed of four circles and a diagonal arrow pointing up and right.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66525ec138843cc1ccb1c325/66529844eddaa630d6da1b42_obedio%20gold%20for%20white%20background.png)](https://getobedio.com) [Team](https://www.getobedio.com/team) [Pricing](https://www.getobedio.com/pricing) [Contact](https://www.getobedio.com/demo) [Blog](https://www.getobedio.com/blog) [Login](https://obed.io/v4/login) Hemp Florida # Florida Legislature Passes Business Friendly Hemp Program on Last Day of Regular Session ![Susan Ameel](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg) Susan Ameel May 4, 2019 The Florida Legislature passed a [bill](https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=64679&sui=xr2xJtg/X5w=-)to implement a hemp program in the state in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill on the last day of the legislative session, May 3, 2019. The new law will require the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish a licensing and oversight program for the cultivation, distribution and sale of hemp and hemp extract. The department must also provide the USDA with Florida’s hemp plan for approval within 30 days of implementing the hemp regulations. The USDA’s approval for Florida’s hemp plan is needed to implement the 2018 Farm Bill in the state. The new law makes it illegal to cultivate hemp without a license from the department. The new law does not limit the number of cultivators. Florida may deny an applicant a license for providing the state with false information, or if the applicant was convicted of a felony related to a controlled substance during the last 10 years. The new law delegates the implementation of the hemp program to the department. We believe that the USDA will drive the final oversight and enforcement requirements as part of the hemp plan approval process. However, the new law does manage to limit the department’s enforcement power by requiring the department to issue a notice of correction to persons who violate the regulations prior to issuing a fine. The department will oversee the distribution and sale of hemp extracts that are intended for ingestion. Although processors and retailers will not need a license, the state will only allow hemp extract to be distributed and sold in the state if it is tested by an independent testing facility and packaged in accordance with the state’s laws and regulations. It is not clear as to what the penalties will be for violating the distribution and sale requirements. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhs.getobedio.com%2Fblog%2F2019%2F05%2F04%2F2019-5-4-florida-legislature-passes-business-friendly-hemp-program-on-last-day-of-regular-session](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fhs.getobedio.com%2Fblog%2F2019%2F05%2F04%2F2019-5-4-florida-legislature-passes-business-friendly-hemp-program-on-last-day-of-regular-session) ## Keep reading ### [California Ballot Measure Local Municipalities California voters will decide 118 local tax measures and $8.07 billion in bond requests on November 3](https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/california-voters-will-decide-118-local-tax-measures-and-8.07-billion-in-bond-requests-on-november-3) ### [Local Ordinance Zoning Ordinance Development Data Federal Realty Asks La Mesa to Approve a 165,000-Square-Foot Bass Pro Shops Where Macy's Stood at Grossmont Center](https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/federal-realty-asks-la-mesa-to-approve-a-165000-square-foot-bass-pro-shops-where-macys-stood-at-grossmont-center) [![Obedio your municipal data source](https://hs.getobedio.com/hs-fs/hubfs/google%20workspace-1.png?width=100&height=41&name=google%20workspace-1.png "Obedio your municipal data source")](https://getobedio.com) Obedio's business intelligence platform provides data and insights from over 25,000 municipalities, enabling retail, manufacturing, finance, real estate, and government clients to make informed decisions, assess risk, and identify opportunities. **Data Source & Liability Disclaimer:** The data presented on this website is aggregated from various official government and public entities ("The Original Government Sources"). 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