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Colorado's Former Cannabis Director Says State's Hemp Permitting System Helped Industry Grow

Ryan Dailey
/
WFSU-FM

Florida Director of Cannabis Holly Bell this week said permits for growing hemp could be issued before the end of this year.

Andrew Freedman, Colorado’s former Director of Cannabis Coordination, spoke to the Economic Club of Florida Thursday. He says in Colorado, a growing license is the only licensing part of the hemp system – adding that simplicity helped expand the industry.

“When it came time to sell, you essentially weren't selling inside any sort of licensed hemp system,” Freedman said. “You had a plot of land, you paid per square foot for the privilege of growing hemp, which is probably why it grew so fast – it hasn’t been a very constricted licensing system.

Freedman says Colorado is currently the second largest hemp market in the country, second to Kentucky.

Ryan Dailey is a reporter/producer for WFSU/Florida Public Radio. After graduating from Florida State University, Ryan went into print journalism working for the Tallahassee Democrat for five years. At the Democrat, he worked as a copy editor, general assignment and K-12 education reporter.