At the end of last week, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the results of a multi-day inspection of a Miami Beach warehouse that led to criminal charges and the seizure of over 1,700 illegal hemp, THC-O, and Amanita Muscaria mushroom products.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Food Safety, in collaboration with the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE), conducted a comprehensive multi-day inspection at Asik Wholesale, located at 99 NE 166th Street North Miami Beach, which uncovered numerous violations and illegal products.
“The safety and well-being of Floridians is our top priority, and the violations and illegal products uncovered during this inspection are unacceptable and put consumers at risk,” said Simpson. “We are committed to ensuring that our state’s businesses adhere to the highest standards of safety and compliance. This enforcement action, just like our many previous actions, should serve as another reminder that this administration will not tolerate violations that compromise public safety.”
Asik Wholesale faces charges for operating without a food permit and manufacturing and selling adulterated and misbranded food products that were subsequently offered for sale in violation of section 500.04, Fla. Stat. These charges stem from the discovery of 1,106 packages of hemp extract products containing THC-O, categorized as a controlled substance under federal and state law, §893.03(1)(c)190, Fla. Stat. The inspection also uncovered 322 packages of hemp extract products that are designed to be attractive to children, a direct violation of s. 581.217(7)(e), Fla. Stat. The inspection also revealed 357 packages of food products containing Amanita Muscaria mushroom, a poisonous substance.
The department seized all illegal products or placed them under a stop-sale order to prevent any potential harm to consumers.
During the 2023 Legislative Session,Simpson worked with Senator Colleen Burton and Representative Will Robinson to reform Florida’s hemp laws to better protect consumers and children. According to Florida Poison Information Center, 933 children were exposed to high-potency THC products across Florida in 2022, many of whom required medical care and hospitalization. Historically, individuals used a loophole in Florida’s hemp statutes to manufacture and sell euphoric, high-potency THC products — like delta-8 — for consumption without restrictions, including to minors.
SB 1676, which went into effect July 1, added age requirements for the purchase of hemp products intended for consumption, protected Florida’s minors by prohibiting marketing that targets children, protects consumers by mandating that products sold in Florida be packaged in a safe container that compliant with the United States Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970, and holds hemp products that are ingested to the same health and safety standards as other food products.
To enforce these law changes, the department also conducted the largest ever inspection sweep of food establishments selling products that contain hemp extracts in July and August. The statewide inspection sweeps specifically targeted the illegal sale of hemp extract products that are attractive and/or marketed to children, prohibited by Florida Law The sweep included inspections of more than 700 food establishments in all 67 Florida counties and uncovered over 83,000 packages of hemp extract products, including euphoric, high-potency THC products, targeting children.
Author
