ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A bill that would ban delta-8 and restrict other hemp-derived products in Florida made its way to Governor DeSantis’s desk Friday afternoon, months after passing the legislature.
After the bill was green-lit by both chambers earlier this year, hemp advocates, users and businesses have called on the governor to veto the restrictions, fearing its impact.
"It would take a lot of money out of the state of Florida and it would take us out of business,” says Carlos Hermida, owner of Chillum Hemp Dispensary.
At locations in St. Petersburg and Ybor City, Hermida sells varieties of delta-8, delta-9 and several other hemp products like CBD oils and tinctures.
Some of the products result in users feeling “high.” Others do not and are used mainly for medicinal purposes. Hermida says if passed, the legislation would ban both types of hemp products, about 75% of what he sells in his stores.
Hermida says the bill is misguided and unfairly jeopardizes small businesses like his, and the local customers that visit.
“It makes it so companies like mine wouldn't be able to sell these products and only the medical marijuana companies in the state would be able to profit off of these,” Hermida said.
“They don't have trust in these large corporations,” Hermida says of his clientele. “They come here to us get relief that way. They don't want to go to a drug dealer. They don't want to go to somebody on the street. They want to come here.”
Customers have also visited Chillum to fill out letters, stamped and addressed to Governor DeSantis calling on him to veto the legislation. Hermida says they’ve mailed hundreds to the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee this year.
The letters include personal stories about how products like CBD have bettered their lives.
“We were totally ignorant about CBD, hemp. We didn't know anything about anything, so we prayed about it a lot,” says Tracy Berg.
Berg’s daughter Riley has autism and is nonverbal. By the time she was eight-years-old, she began suffering from persistent seizures that caused her to frequently fall.
The Panama City mom says Riley was prescribed a medication to treat the seizures, but they had concerns about some of the side effects, and it was a news program where they found CBD may be something worth trying.
Berg says Riley was administered an all-natural hemp oil and within days her seizures slowed down. Now, “April 23 of 2024, is 8 years she has been seizure free and it's the only thing we use,” she added.
Berg says if that product is banned, it would force her family to move out of Florida, “or become criminals,” adding its not something her daughter, now 18, could live without.
"I just can't fathom why any would make it not available for people,” Berg added.
Proponents of the legislation in Tallahassee say the hemp industry has gotten out of control since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed. State Rep. Tommy Gregory (R-Lakewood Ranch) likened dispensaries that sell Delta-8 and other hemp products containing THC to drug dealers.
In November, Florida voters will weigh in on a proposed amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana across the state.