The combined Florida House workgroup formed to study the hemp industry concluded its final meeting Thursday with two main conclusions: They agreed they did not want to make any moves that might kill what has emerged as a multi-billion-dollar industry in the Sunshine State, and they also determined that Florida has to change the status quo in regard to how the product is regulated.
The 24-member group, chaired by Escambia County Republican Michelle Salzman, was charged by House Speaker Danny Perez to "gain knowledge and understanding of the subject matter" and not to make legislative recommendations.
The panel heard testimony, some of it jarring, from industry experts, regulators and entrepreneurs.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whose department oversees the hemp industry, kicked off the meetings this week when he said that while the hemp market is complicated, the facts surrounding it aren't.
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