Jesse Scheckner
Florida’s aggressive push to remove unsafe and deceptively marketed hemp products from store shelves has resulted in more than 85,000 packages seized across 40 counties in the first three weeks of the state’s “Operation Safe Summer” enforcement sweep, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) launched the operation earlier this Summer to target hemp retailers and manufacturers selling products that violate Florida’s updated child protection standards for packaging, labeling and advertising.
The crackdown builds on sweeping reforms enacted through SB 1676, a bill Simpson championed during the 2023 Legislative Session to regulate hemp-derived consumables and safeguard minors.
“Florida will not tolerate the sale of dangerous, illegal hemp products that endanger our children,” Simpson said in a statement Wednesday. “We will continue to aggressively enforce the law, hold bad actors accountable, and put the safety of Florida’s families over profits.”
According to FDACS, inspectors seized 38,861 packages in the first week of “Operation Safe Summer,” 40,796 in the second week and 6,024 in the third.
FDACS said the sweep is primarily targeting high-potency, euphoric consumables such as gummies, vape cartridges, drinks and pre-rolled cigarettes sold in packaging that mimics candy or features cartoon imagery, practices now banned under revised state regulations.
Retailers caught violating the standards may face administrative penalties, including fines, product seizures and license suspensions.
The latest wave of enforcement follows months of warnings. FDACS issued guidance to hemp food establishments in April and June about the enforcement of new requirements under Rule 5K-4.034 of the Florida Administrative Code, which took effect March 12, 2025.
The amended rule mandates:
— Child-resistant packaging, per Advancing Standards Transforming Markets (ASTM) International Standards.
— Label transparency, including barcodes linking to product test results.
— Strict marketing limits banning packaging “attractive to children.”
— Disclosure of THC concentration and absence of pathogens.
— Clear serving-size labeling.
— Moisture content limits for cannabis flower and leaves.
Since July 1, 2023, FDACS said it has removed more than 750,000 noncompliant hemp packages from the Florida marketplace.
Hemp-derived products exploded in popularity after Congress passed the 2018 federal Farm Bill, which President Donald Trump signed. The measure legalized industrial hemp and removed it from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of controlled substances.
But in states like Florida, where recreational cannabis remains illegal, retailers have increasingly turned to alternative cannabinoids like delta-8 and delta-10 THC that offer similar intoxicating effects without violating the law.
That legal gray area prompted Florida lawmakers to tighten regulations. SB 1676, sponsored by Winter Haven Republican Sen. Colleen Burton and Bradenton Republican Rep. Will Robinson, added clearer restrictions and established a legal framework to regulate packaging, access and health standards for hemp consumables.
The bill passed unanimously in May and received Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature June 29.
