Commissioner Fried Hosts First Hemp Rulemaking Workshop in South Florida

Pembroke Pines, Fla. — Today, Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried joined key Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services officials to host the first public hemp rulemaking workshop at Broward College in Pembroke Pines.

"The upcoming state hemp program marks a new industrial revolution — after eighty years of stalled progress, we can finally put hemp to work for farmers, entrepreneurs, and consumers here in Florida," said Commissioner Nikki Fried. "Our Department is working swiftly to ensure the program’s rules will be inclusive for everyone who wants to be involved with Florida hemp. Today’s public participation, questions, and feedback are a critical part of making Florida a national leader in hemp."

During the workshop, senior Department officials held a series of presentations on the newly-released draft rules for the state hemp program. The Department will take public feedback into account while finalizing the proposed framework.

See photos & HD b-roll from today’s South Florida workshop

The workshop is the first in a series of three events taking place in South, Central, and North Florida. Commissioner Fried will be present at all three events, including the Central Florida workshop in Tampa on Friday and the North Florida workshop in Tallahassee on Monday.

The Department of Agriculture maintains a regularly-updated section on its website to provide information on cannabis and the new state hemp program. Floridians are encouraged to visit FreshFromFlorida.com/Cannabis for hemp and cannabis updates, or email Cannabis@FDACS.gov with any questions.

Members of the media interested in attending the upcoming workshops in Tampa or Tallahassee, please RSVP to Max.Flugrath@FDACS.gov.

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