Commissioner Wilton Simpson announces intensified enforcement against non-compliant hemp products, bringing total removals to over 800,000 since July 2023.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson today announced significant progress in “Operation Safe Summer,” an ongoing statewide enforcement sweep targeting hemp retailers and manufacturers. During the operation, more than 155,000 packages of illegal hemp products have been removed from store shelves due to violations of Florida’s stringent child-protection standards for packaging, labeling, and marketing.
“In just five weeks, we’ve removed more than 155,000 illegal hemp packages from store shelves, and it should serve as a wake-up call to any businesses putting profits over the safety of our children and communities,” stated Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “This is not a one-time sweep — we are committed to a sustained crackdown on these illegal products and will aggressively pursue bad actors until the hemp industry gets the message.”
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This latest surge in removals brings the total number of non-compliant hemp product packages removed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to over 800,000 since July 1, 2023, when Florida’s reformed hemp laws took effect.
The “Operation Safe Summer” enforcement totals demonstrate a consistent effort:
- Week 1: 38,861 packages removed
- Week 2: 40,796 additional packages removed
- Week 3: 6,024 additional packages removed
- Week 4: 48,195 additional packages removed
- Week 5: 22,056 additional packages removed
- Total to date: Over 155,932 illegal hemp packages removed
FDACS had previously issued advisories on April 3, 2025, and June 2, 2025, to hemp food establishments, detailing the planned enforcement of amendments to Rule 5K-4.034, Florida Administrative Code. This rule governs hemp and hemp extract intended for human consumption, and businesses are expected to be in full compliance to avoid administrative action.
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Key updates to the rule include:
- Prohibition on specified color additives.
- Mandatory child-resistant packaging compliant with ASTM International D 3475-20.
- Enhanced requirements for Certificates of Analysis, which must now include laboratory information, total delta-9 THC concentration, and confirm the presence or absence of prohibited substances and pathogens.
- Restrictions on marketing and advertising that targets children.
- Enhanced labeling requirements, including common household measurements for serving sizes and scannable barcodes or QR codes linking to the certificate of analysis within three or fewer steps.
- A water activity standard of 0.60 (±0.05) for cannabis flower or leaves.
All previously existing rule requirements not amended on March 12, 2025, remain in effect, including the prohibition of products and packaging attractive to children, such as those shaped like or featuring imagery of humans, animals, or cartoons.
Commissioner Simpson worked with the Florida Legislature during the 2023 legislative session to reform Florida’s hemp laws, adding age requirements for purchases, prohibiting marketing that targets children, and subjecting ingested or inhaled products to the same health and safety standards as other food products.
Following the legislative reforms, FDACS conducted the largest-ever inspection sweep of businesses selling hemp products in July and August 2023. This sweep covered over 700 businesses across all 67 Florida counties and uncovered more than 83,000 packages of hemp-extract products, including high-potency THC products, specifically targeting children.
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