Florida Removes Nearly 11,000 Hemp Product Packages for Violating Child-Protection Standards

Florida officials have removed nearly 11,000 packages of hemp products for
violating child-protection standards for packaging, labeling, and marketing
throughout the state during the Florida Department of Agriculture’s
“Operation Safe Summer.”

In a statement, Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said the agency
has “drawn a hard line in Florida when it comes to protecting our children
from dangerous and deceptive hemp products.”

“’Operation Safe Summer’ is our latest effort to crack down on bad actors
who think they can skirt the law, ignore public safety, and profit off
high-potency, intoxicating hemp products that endanger our children. We
will not tire in our commitment to cleaning up this industry, holding
violators accountable, and sending a clear message: if you refuse to follow
the law, you won’t be doing business in Florida.” — Simpson in a press
release

The agency in April and June advised businesses in April and June about the
planned enforcement of new Agriculture Department rules around intoxicating
hemp-infused products. The new rules, enacted in 2023, include:

Prohibition on specified color additives.

Mandatory child-resistant packaging in accordance with ASTM International D
3475-20, Standard Classification of Child Resistant Packages.

Certificates of analysis must now include laboratory information, the
concentration of total delta-9 THC, and confirm the presence or absence of
prohibited substances and pathogens.

Restrictions on marketing and advertising of hemp and hemp extract intended
for human consumption.

Enhanced labeling requirements, including the use of common household
measurements for serving sizes and the provision of a scannable barcode or
QR code, must link to the certificate of analysis within three or fewer
steps.

Water activity for cannabis flower or leaves must be 0.60 (±0.05).

Since July 2023, the Agriculture Department has uncovered more than 738,000
packages of hemp products in violation of child-protection standards.