While careful to say leaders have not taken a position on potential legislation, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on Wednesday announced a plan to dig into issues related to regulation of hemp.
Perez announced the creation of a “combined workgroup,” made up of members of the House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee and the House Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee to begin looking at the issues next week. The workgroup will be headed by Rep. Michelle Salzman, a Pensacola Republican who chairs the Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee.
A memo that Perez sent to House members said the workgroup’s goal “will be to gain knowledge and understanding of the subject matter” and will not consider legislation.
“Because of the way this (legislative) process sometimes works, and the tendency of lobbyists and advocates to insinuate secret meanings, let me be perfectly clear: There are no signals being sent,” Perez wrote in the memo. “House leadership has not adopted any position on this issue nor are we laying the predicate to do so in the future. We are not endorsing any particular bill, position, industry, or perspective. How — or even whether — we proceed with legislation on this issue this session will be determined by all of you. We hope this workgroup will be a useful start to a productive conversation.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis last year vetoed a bill that would have severely restricted the sales and production of euphoria-inducing hemp-based products. Supporters argued the bill would have addressed safety concerns as the use of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, has boomed.
This year’s legislative session will start Tuesday.
While careful to say leaders have not taken a position on potential legislation, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, on Wednesday announced a plan to dig into issues related to regulation of hemp.… Read More
