Latest news with #MichelleSalzman
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida hemp industry wins another reprieve from regulations this year
A Tallahassee hemp store. (Photo by Mitch Perry/ Florida Phoenix) A year ago, members of Florida's hemp industry were lobbying Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill regulating hemp-derived THC products that many claimed if signed into law would be a devastating blow to their livelihoods. Their mission was accomplished when he did in fact veto the proposal last June. That won't be required this year; the Legislature failed to pass anything on hemp before unofficially ending the legislative session on Friday night (they are expected to return to Tallahassee later this month to deal exclusively with budget-related matters). State Sen. Colleen Burton via Florida Senate Rep. Michelle Salzman via Florida House The central problem appeared to be the substantive differences between the Senate bill sponsored by Polk County Republican Colleen Burton (SB 438) and the House version (HB 7027) sponsored by Panhandle Republican Michelle Salzman. The two measures would have capped the potency of hemp-derived THC products, placed advertising restrictions, and required hemp to be tested by a certified medical cannabis laboratory. But there were some big differences: The Senate bill (like its 2024 version) called for the outright ban of synthetic cannabinoids like Delta-8 and said that the newly popular hemp-infused drinks could only be sold through a retailer holding a liquor license. Salzman's bill in the House did not ban Delta-8. Neither did it call for retailers to have a liquor license, but it did include a 15% excise tax on all hemp purchases. Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, said the House bill was better for his industry than the Senate's version, and said he appreciated the work that Rep. Salzman devoted to trying to find the right balance. 'In its final form, we said that it wasn't perfect, but it was a significant improvement on the Senate bill and so in the end nothing passing was better than the Senate bill passing,' Miller said. He's 'hopeful,' he said, that between now and next year's legislative session 'people will realize that the House version is the model to start working from and hopefully produce something that really both protects farmers and consumers at the same time.' 'Honestly afraid' Carlos Hermida, who owns two hemp shops in the Tampa Bay area, says the Senate's ban on synthetic cannibinoids like Delta-8 and Delta-10 would have eliminated most hemp products from his establishments. 'I was honestly afraid that we would have to close down,' he said last week when it became evident there would be no bill this year. 'Of course it will be good for my bottom line. I can still sell drinks, I can sell the products that my customers need, and I can still advertise.' A new element in this discussion from a year ago has been the emergence of hemp-derived THC beverages being sold throughout the state. Burton's proposal would have required sales only at locations licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. Both bills limited the amount of THC in such drinks (5 milligrams per container in the Senate, 10 milligrams per container in the House), while the House bill would have banned consumption of such drinks on the retailer's premises. Those restrictions might work for establishments like ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, a major liquor retail chain, said Michael Smith, co-owner of Herban Flow in St. Petersburg. But it wouldn't work for his two stores, which feature a large selection of THC-infused drinks. 'With [Florida] being such a tourism/hospitality state, these bars are trying to develop server menus and other type of non-alcoholic menus for people to partake and join out with their friends, and the House bill would have taken away on-site consumption completely,' he said. 'Losing that ability to go out there and sell at festivals and farmers markets, that would have significantly hurt us.' During the final committee stop in the House, Rep. Salzman said she was resolute in keeping that provision in her bill, saying that there are no mechanisms to test for intoxication from those THC-infused drinks. 'This stuff has got to be regulated' With Congress largely silent on the issue, it has been up to the states to regulate hemp-derived THC products since the U.S. Farm Bill legalized hemp in 2018. While roughly half the states in the nation have placed some regulations on such products (and some, such as Idaho, have banned the product outright), Florida continues to struggle with such measures. That's a problem, says Ellen Snelling, of the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance. 'I'm extremely disappointed,' says said, noting that House Speaker Daniel Perez had convened a special workgroup that met for three days during the first week of the session to learn more about the hemp business from those in the industry. 'I thought, 'This is great. This is going to work this year,'' she recounted. Then Snelling saw the disparate House and Senate bill versions posted. 'As time went on, it just seemed like they weren't going to come to a consensus and be able to get it done. But both bills had some positive things in it, and I just wish there was some way that they have gotten together and gotten a bill passed, because it's past time, because this stuff has got to be regulated.' Florida is not the only state that failed to come up with regulations on hemp-derived THC products this year. In Georgia last month, a bill addressing concerns about high THC dosages passed in the state Senate but stalled in the House, as well. 'It's really a game of whack-a-mole,' said U.S. Hemp Roundtable's Miller. 'Over the course of legislative sessions, we've seen things pop up and we try to hammer them down, and sometimes we miss but in general I think the movement is towards robust regulation as opposed to bans. I think with this new hemp beverage industry there's a lot more excitement about that, and so I think you're going to see more Legislatures really trying to come up with solutions that provide for strong access to consumers while ensuring protection of the products.' It should be noted that both Senate and House bills passed unanimously in all of the committees in which they were heard, and the full Senate voted unanimously in support of that bill when it came to the floor last month. The House version never came to the floor of that chamber. 'We will continue to debate how hemp affects public health and our economy,' Salzman told the Phoenix in an emailed comment last week. 'There are legal gaps we need to address in the future and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure these products are safe and protect consumers, while still allowing Florida farmers to thrive.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hemp entrepreneurs object as regulation of THC products moves to full House
(Photo by) A measure that would regulate hemp-derived THC products in Florida passed unanimously in its second and final committee in the Florida House on Tuesday, but only after hemp entrepreneurs expressed their strongest criticism of such regulations this legislative session. The bills (HB 7027 & 7029), sponsored by Panhandle Republican Michelle Salzman, are different in some respects to the Senate version that passed unanimously in that chamber two weeks ago — most significantly in that it puts a 15% excise tax on the sale of all such products. Another difference with the Senate version is that it doesn't ban consumption of Delta-8, the hemp-derived THC product that has grown in popularity since hemp was legalized in the United States through the 2018 U.S. farm bill. The House bill would limit the amount of THC in derived products. Regarding hemp-infused drinks, beverages cannot contain more than 5 milligrams of THC hemp per 6-ounce contains. The bill limits 'inhalables' (such as joints and vaping machines) and edibles to 5 milligrams per serving (an increase of 2.5 milligrams from last week's version). Another provision would prohibit anyone from receiving more than 100 milligrams of hemp-derived THC in a single 24-hour period. The bill would prohibit any individual from ingesting hemp consumable THC products within 1,000 feet of a public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school between 6 a.m. and midnight. A violator would be subjected to a $25 fine or 50 hours of community service. Rep. Salzman amended her bill from last week in two key respects: It would now allow places like gas stations to sell hemp-infused THC drinks and it would not place any limitations on non-intoxicating CBD products. This is the third year in a row in which lawmakers have spent considerable time and energy attempting to regulate intoxicating hemp-derived THC products, which have grown in popularity since the state legalized the product in 2019. Regulations passed during last year's session but were vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis after heavy lobbying by members of the hemp industry. As a way to show their appreciation, a number of hemp entrepreneurs sent funds to the Republican Party of Florida and other groups organized to oppose Amendment 3, the constitutional amendment that, if passed, would have legalized recreational cannabis for all adults 21 and over. For whatever reason, many of those same hemp entrepreneurs who regularly testified in opposition to those proposals filed in the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions have been absent from the public debate as the bills have moved through their respective chambers this spring. But that détente ended on Tuesday, as people who work in the hemp industry testified before the House Commerce Committee that the proposal would severely affect their bottom lines. JJ Coombs, who operates three hemp businesses based out of Fort Lauderdale, said a problem with the House legislation is that it would put the same limits on the amount of THC in both edibles and inhalables. 'They are completely different products,' he said. 'Edibles are consumed in a single serving while inhalabales are consumed over a period of time, often going weeks without having to purchase another device.' Patrick Shatzer of Sunmed/Your CBD Store summarized the letter accompanying DeSantis' veto; the governor wrote that that bill would 'impose debilitating regulatory burdens on small businesses and almost certainly fail to achieve its purposes.' 'The intent is to stop intoxicating [elements] and to stop bad actors,' Shatzer said. 'These laws are not going to allow the good actors to operate.' Lobbyists for alcohol interests expressed disappointment that the legislation does not allow for individuals to drink hemp-infused THC beverages at the establishment where they buy such products. Scott Difford, with Delta Beverages, said his products are sold in more than 570 restaurants and bars in Florida, and he asked Salzman to amend the bill to allow for on-premise consumption by adults 21 and over. Rep. Salzman insisted that provision was important, citing the absence of any mechanism to test for intoxication by such products. A couple of hemp business officials tried a new argument —that it's limitations on THC in hemp-infused products would compel military veterans to sign up as a medical marijuana patient in Florida. That, they said, would violate their Second Amendment rights because federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, causing complications for medical marijuana patients who want to own firearms. (Former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried lost a federal lawsuit in 2022 challenging federal prohibitions on medical-marijuana patients buying and possessing guns). J.J. McCormick, chairman of American Healthy Alternatives Association, described a conservation he had with a military veteran who uses hemp-derived THC products. 'He said as someone who held clearances and often had to be nimble in their employment, both stateside and overseas, he would never get a medical marijuana license because he would be forced to lie and perjure himself on background checks to obtain firearms and sign contracts,' he said. 'This is a one-two punch that displaces thousands of Florida families,' added Shai Ortiz, CEO of Siesta G, based in eastern Hillsborough County. 'This stifles innovation. This stifles Florida-first values.' The regulations passed unanimously in committee, however, and now go to the floor for a vote — where they will have to be reconciled with the Senate version to get to DeSantis desk this year. 'This is a common-sense bill built on collaboration,' Salzman said, resulting in a measure that is unified around a single goal: 'protecting Floridians while preserving opportunities.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida House panel OKs tax on all hemp-derived THC products
Hemp being grown indoors for flower to produce CBD oil. (Florida A&M University hemp pilot project report to Florida Senate Agriculture Committee) All hemp-derived THC products would be taxed at 15% under a proposal passed in a Florida House committee on Wednesday. The measure is one of two regarding regulation of hemp-derived THC products sponsored by Panhandle Republican Michelle Salzman that were approved unanimously in the House Budget Committee. The main bill (HB 7027) is a companion to a Senate bill (SB 438) that has already passed unanimously in that chamber, although they do contain significant differences. Among them is that Salzman's bill would not ban Delta-8, the hemp-derived THC product that has grown in popularity since hemp was legalized in the United States through the 2018 U.S. farm bill. Like its Senate companion, the House bill limits the amount of Delta-9 hemp-derived products such as beverages and gummies. It says edibles must contain no more than 2 milligrams; be individually wrapped; and be sold in containers with no more than 20 edibles. That raised objections from Patrick Shatzer of Sunmed/Your CBD Store, who says his company is the largest CBD brick-and-mortar business in the country with 260 locations nationwide and 42 in Florida. 'The size of the gummies — limited to 2 grams — that's just a tiny little pinkie size wide,' he said to the committee. 'That's not the industry standard. The industry standard is anywhere from 5 to 8 grams.' Shatzer also objected to the provision limiting 20 servings per container, saying the average dietary supplements permit 30 gummies in a container. And he raised objections to a prohibition on selling, delivering, bartering, giving, or furnishing hemp consumables that total more than 100 milligrams of THC to a person in a 24-hour period, saying it would be unenforceable. Rep. Salzman replied that, while she is open to changing some of those limits, she is holding firm on limiting personal consumption of such products to 100 milligrams of THC a day. 'If somebody know that they can't buy more than 100 milligrams in that day, it's going to give them a warning subconsciously, 'Maybe I shouldn't have more than 100 milligrams of this stuff in a day,'' she said. 'And if you want more than 100 milligrams of this stuff a day, you probably need to get a medical cannabis card.' Regarding the proposed 15% excise tax on hemp products, Jodi James of the Florida Cannabis Action Network said that not all hemp products are intoxicating, and that those that aren't should not be taxed at all. 'In the state of Florida, we don't tax vitamins, we don't tax supplements,' she said. Salzman said following the meeting that she will exempt those products before the bill's final hearing before House Commerce Committee next week. 'That's a no-brainer,' she said. 'The purpose of this is to give it a sin-tax, and if you're not using it for sin, then yes.' The measure says that the first $6 million of revenue collected from the tax would go into a General Inspection Trust fund for enforcement and testing of hemp-derived products. The rest would go into the state's main account, the General Revenue Fund. Atlhough the House and Senate bills differ in some respects, one similarity that members of the committee voiced concerns about was a requirement that hemp-containing beverages be sold only through shops licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. 'I don't think that we should be picking winners and losers here,' said Naples Republican Rep. Lauren Melo. 'I, too, would like to see convenience stores added back in.' 'I, too, think it should be treated like alcohol,' added Broward County Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky. 'And therefore should be available in the same way that alcohol is.' Southeast Florida Republican Rep. Toby Overdorf said he would like to see more work regarding synthetics, which are not listed in the House measure. Much is the same in the House and Senate bills; both would prohibit packaging that might be attractive to children and require the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs to certify any hemp-testing laboratory in Florida or any other state. The House bill prohibits THC products from being sold, given, bartered, furnished, or delivered to consumers at festivals, fairs, trade shows, farmers' markets, expositions, or pop-up retail establishments. And it would ban anyone from ingesting them within 1,000 feet of a public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight. The bill will move to the Commerce Committee next week, its likely final stop before reaching the floor. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed amendment to term-limit county commissioners, school board members goes to House
The Leon County Courthouse on Oct. 21, 2024. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) A Florida House committee on Tuesday passed a resolution (HJR 679) that would place a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot asking voters to impose eight-year term limits on county commissioners and school board members. But its Senate companion bill has stalled, raising doubt about whether the Legislature will approve the limits during this year's legislative session. Twelve counties in Florida have already imposed term limits on their county commissioners. Eight such counties have imposed term limits of eight years, while four others have imposed 12-year term limits, with Pinellas the latest to do so last fall. Panhandle Republican Michelle Salzman's resolution would allow county commissioners who want to run for county mayor to do so immediately, and not have to take any time off from public service before running for that office. Orange, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade are among the counties in Florida that have such a county mayor position. The proposal is fiercely opposed by the Florida Association of Counties. Jeff Scala, director of public policy with that group, complained the resolution would strip voters of their ability to self govern by forcing them to vote on county commission term limits statewide, 'imposing their choices on other voters.' If the proposal goes on the 2026 ballot, voters in the 12 counties that have already changed their charters to impose term limits, who represent 58% of the state, could impose their preferences on the rest of the state. 'Miami-Dade voters deciding for Monroe County,' he said. 'What is best for St. Lucie [County]. We have a situation where Orange County voters go back to tell Marion or Lake County voters that eight years is the right number.' Rich Templin of the Florida AFL-CIO agreed, telling lawmakers that the proposal, if approved, would take away local control. 'You are going to be allowing three or four counties around the state to make a decision about foundational governance for local communities that will have no say,' he said, adding that the more populous counties will outvote small ones. The only Republican member of the House State Affairs Committee to oppose the measure was Tampa Rep. Karen Gonzalez-Pittman. She said the proposal would be weak unless it included term limits for staff. 'We've seen what has happened when we've had term limits and not having term limits on staff. It has made staff much more powerful, and we're seeing that in the Legislature as well as in D.C., where the current administration is trying to undo that,' she said. In response, Salzman emphasized that public opinion polls have consistently showed that more than 80% of the country supports term limits. (A Pew Research Center survey from September 2023 showed that 87% of the public want term limits for members of Congress). She said she had responded to criticism about a similar proposal she carried last year, which wouldn't have given voters any say on the matter. So this year's proposal is a resolution and not a bill, meaning that if it wins 3/5ths support in both chambers of the Legislature, it would be placed on the statewide ballot next year, giving the voters the option of deciding the issue. Salzman dismissed criticism that certain counties would have more sway in a statewide election. 'We're trying to give the voters what they want and we're over here arguing about whose voice is louder,' she said. The Senate version (SJR 802), sponsored by West Central Florida Republican Blaise Ingoglia, has passed one committee but has two more stops before reaching the floor. In 1992, Florida voters approved an amendment to the state's Constitution creating eight-year term limits for legislators. Eight years later, 68 term-limited senators and representatives were forced to retire, and the state saw the highest number of freshman legislators since the first legislative session in 1845, according to the book 'The Failure of Term Limits in Florida,' by Florida International University professor Kathryn A. Depalo. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Despite backlash, Florida county term limit bill advances in the House
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida voters may have the chance to set term limits, not just for state lawmakers, but also for county commissioners and school board members. The proposed maximum? Eight years in office. But the effort to put this issue on the 2026 ballot comes with a fiery debate. St. Petersburg City Council votes to replace Tropicana Field's roof 'We know that Americans want term limits at all levels of government. We know Floridians want term limits at all levels of government,' said State Representative Michelle Salzman (R-Escambia County). Term limits are a topic wildly debated on the national, state, and even local levels. The debate back and forth on the issue continues at the state capitol this year with updated legislation now moving through both chambers. State Senator Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) and Representative Salzman teamed up on term limits. Joint Resolution 679 and its Senate companion seek to set an eight-year term limit for all county commissioners and school board members. Voters would get to decide on the 2026 ballot whether or not they want them. Representative Salzman shared with 8 On Your Side that this is her second attempt at getting the bill across the finish line. 'Last year, the bill was just putting it in statute, saying it's eight-year term limits. But the biggest argument we received, even from the members was, 'Can you just put this on the ballot? Can you make this a constitutional amendment so we can vote on it as Floridians?'' Salzman said. This time around, folks against the move argue that this should be decided on the county level, not in a statewide vote. 'About 80% of the voters want term limits, and they want it set at eight years, and all we're asking is to put it on the ballot, let them answer the question,' said Sen. Ingoglia. However, critics of the move argue that they want the decision to be made county-by-county.'Where do we campaign in our district? Who makes the decision to put us here? The people in our district, not the entire state. The entire state did not vote for me to sit here because they don't know me from an Adam,' said State Rep. Jose Alvarez (D-Kissimmee). But even with those arguments, the bill sponsor says no matter how you dice up the votes, local communities will still get their say on the issue.'The same people that vote for the governor will be voting for this. Are we going to now say that the governor doesn't really represent the rural communities because a majority of the voters came from Miami,' said Rep. Salzman. Salzman added that she is going to make some adjustments to the language, allowing folks to come back after they've taken a break. And says for commissioners who are currently seated, they will get to serve another eight years beyond implementation of the law if it makes it across the finish line and on the governor's desk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
