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SARASOTA – Law enforcement crackdown on shops selling a non-toxic cousin of cannabis has been delayed.
Last week, the Sarasota Police Department was planning to implement control measures for retailers who sell cannabidiol – more commonly known as CBD – but the crackdown was delayed until Chief of Police Bernadette DiPino officially approves a letter of formal notice that agents will deliver to stores to stop selling CBD, which comes in a variety of forms including oils, edibles and topical creams. Retailers in the city who sell CBD include gas stations, grocery stores, and stand-alone stores that specialize exclusively in this product, derived from hemp plants containing a tiny amount of THC, the main intoxicating ingredient in marijuana. The planned crackdown comes after about seven complaints from citizens recently ill after using the products, the police said.
"We continue to go ahead with educating our community about the dangers associated with buying CBD oil from outlets other than accredited clinics." . The letter remains a work in progress, "police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said in an email.
While the Sarasota police crackdown is imminent, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office does not plan to launch a crackdown on its own, spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez said. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has also not planned an organized crackdown, although it recently seized nearly 100 cartons of CBD containing THC in a private residence earlier this month, authorities said. .
"While we have not received any complaints from people who have reacted negatively to a CBD-based product purchased in Charlotte County, we continue to warn the public about the use, because of the concerns of safety sparked by the regulation and monitoring of THC levels in the product, "Charlotte County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Katie Heck told Herald-Tribune in an email. "As with any illegal drug, it is very dangerous to know where it was produced and what it contains. We will continue to work with businesses in the field of education and enforce the law, as appropriate. "
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office could not be contacted. The Sarasota Police has knowledge of at least two dozen stores in the city that sell the product, including some shops selling exclusively CBD oil and topical cream. Sarasota County, however, does not estimate the number of retailers that sell the product, said a county spokesman, adding that the county refused to issue permits for use at local markets. entities that openly propose to sell CBD oil.
The imminent crackdown in Sarasota is an educational campaign – not an organized roundup of companies, police and District Attorney Ed Brodsky said. Brodsky told the Herald-Tribune that he had no intention of suing the merchants who sell the substance, which was attributed to pain relief, convulsions, Anxiety, sleeping problems and other health problems.
CBD merchants believe that coercion efforts are under way after the police have begun to consider the crackdown.
"It has created a kind of understanding from an educational point of view that it's not something that needs to be taken lightly. There are a lot of conversations to do. I am very optimistic at one point, "said Shelby Isaacson, co-owner of Second and Seed, a downtown Sarasota store that sells hemp extract and CBD oil-based hemp.
"It seems that the fact that the Attorney General has no interest in suing has caused a significant decline by the police," said Isaacson.
There has been a lot of debate about the legality of products. Brodsky urged the state's legislative authority to clarify CBD laws. Sarasota police and Florida agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried, newly elected, said the substance was currently illegal. Ms Fried hopes to be able to change this legislation by creating a CBD program in the country, she said.
The current law prohibits the sale of cannabis derivatives, with the exception of marijuana for medical purposes, Mike Harrell, a retired Tampa police inspector who is currently a civilian investigator in the unit narcotics police Sarasota, told the Herald-Tribune. He added that another law in the books authorized a strict hemp pilot program.
Hemp supporters and CBD retailers claim that they comply with federal law. In December, President Donald Trump ratified the Congress's omnibus farm bill, legalizing hemp at the federal level. Hemp, which is related to marijuana but does not have a psychoactive effect, has been listed since 1997 in the list of substances controlled by federal law. The Farm Bill removed the designation and classified hemp as an agricultural product, legally separating hemp from marijuana, which is illegal in most states. If they are grown as a crop, hemp plants must not contain more than 0.3% THC, or they must be destroyed. The law also allows for the transportation of hemp from one country to another, thus broadening the possibilities of sale.
A Bill 333 recently introduced in the House could help clarify confusion and establish a clearly defined hemp industry in the state. The bill seeks to establish a hemp program within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which provides for requirements for the registration, distribution and retailing of hemp , hemp products and hemp extracts.
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