WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Nearly 70,000 illegal hemp extract products attractive to children were found at Florida businesses during "Operation Kandy Krush," according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on Tuesday.
A weeklong inspection of 475 food establishments in 37 Florida counties uncovered 68,689 packages, including euphoric, high-potency THC products in packaging that appealed to kids.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding Florida’s children and consumers, we launched 'Operation Kandy Krush,' Florida's most extensive hemp inspection sweep ever," Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said in a news release. "This operation now sends a clear message that illegal and unsafe hemp products have no place in our state, and we will continue diligently enforcing the law to keep our communities safe.”
SB 1676, passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this year, closed a loophole in Florida's hemp statutes. The law added age requirements for the purchase of hemp products intended for human consumption, prohibits marketing that targets children, mandates that products sold in Florida be packaged in a safe container and holds ingested hemp products to the same health and safety standards as other food products.
Items banned were in the shape of humans, cartoons or animals, including any reasonable resemblance to an existing candy product, and containing any color additives.
