Will federal hemp ban upend Florida’s continuous attempts at developing a regulatory framework?

Florida officials have tried and failed to regulate hemp products over the last three years. Now, Congress appears poised to take nearly all hemp-infused products off shelves nationwide.

But at least one lawmaker central to last year’s hemp discussions voiced relief that the issue could be settled for now.

“I’m encouraged to see the Senate include hemp-related language as this bill moves to the U.S. House,” said state Rep. Michelle Salzman, a Pensacola Republican. “My focus has always been on commonsense safeguards that protect Americans while supporting responsible industry. This is another step in that ongoing conversation, and I look forward to continued collaboration as the process moves forward.”

Salzman headed up a working group last year that sought to negotiate a regulatory framework for hemp products in Florida, but the Senate and House ultimately could not agree on legislation.

That was just the latest chapter in Tallahassee’s long road toward tackling the growing prevalence of hemp-infused products available now in Florida convenience stores with little regulation.

The Legislature did pass a bill in 2024, but Gov. Ron DeSantis ultimately vetoed that bill, deriding “debilitating regulatory burdens” that would disrupt a growing market in Florida.

But a continuing budget resolution to reopen the federal government could go much further. A portion of the bill on agriculture funding introduces new language to “prohibit the transportation, processing, sale, or use of hemp, or seeds of such plant.”

An analysis of the legislation by Cannabis Business Times says the language as written effectively ends the legal sale of any products with delta-8 and other cannabinoids. While it preserves the right to sell non-intoxicating CBD products, no product with a total 0.3% THC makeup could be sold, and consumer products may not have more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container.

That’s a shift from when Congress in 2018 effectively legalized the sale of hemp goods nationwide as part of the Farm Bill. That prompted a rush of states, including Florida, to establish hemp programs and establish rules for legal production of hemp.

The federal ban prompted U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, to cast the lone GOP vote against the budget resolution Monday night. He noted that the Bluegrass State has become a major producer of hemp.

“The hemp provision in this appropriations package wipes out nearly 100% of legal hemp products overnight: killing jobs, crushing farmers, and overriding 23 state laws that already regulate hemp responsibly,” Paul argued on the Senate floor.

“Our farmers have turned to hemp as a lifeline when fertilizer, fuel, and equipment costs skyrocketed and crop prices fell. Instead of working with us to crack down on bad actors and synthetic cannabinoids, some in Congress chose prohibition. Kentucky jobs are not collateral. Our farmers are not bargaining chips.”

But both of Florida’s Senators, U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, supported the bill, which appears bound for House passage later this week.