Charlotte’s Web—one of the country’s largest and oldest CBD companies—registered last month to lobby in Florida, just as the state’s hemp industry gets underway.
The Colorado-based company filed paperwork on January 21 to lobby lawmakers and regulators on matters related to “herbal supplements manufacturing.” Charlotte’s Web is registered to lobby both the legislative and executive branches.
“Charlotte’s Web sees an opportunity to work with state legislators and regulators to set an example for other states to follow,” Kelly Shea, the company’s SVP of Government Affairs & Corporate Communications, told Cannabis Wire.
Shea said the company plans to push for regulations that “promote the safety and efficacy of products through rigorous testing standards, transparency in the supply chain and standardization of product labeling.”
The group of brothers, often called the Stanley brothers, behind Charlotte’s Web are widely credited with bringing CBD into the mainstream. The company is named after its most well-known product, Charlotte’s Web, which was named after a young girl with epilepsy named Charlotte Figi who was helped by the family’s CBD oil. Figi, and the Stanley family, were featured in a 2013 CNN documentary called WEED.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has said she expects hemp to be a multi-billion dollar industry in the state. The booming medical cannabis industry has already attracted major players from across the nation, including MedMen and Harvest Health & Recreation.
Jeff Greene, co-founder and business development director of the Florida Hemp Council, said it makes sense that companies are likewise looking to cash in on the hemp market.
“Charlotte’s Web is a large national brand that is aware that Florida is a huge market opportunity, and that Florida is a fluid state when it comes to legislation,” Greene said.
State lawmakers are considering a pair of bills that would make tweaks to the state’s hemp law this legislative session, which ends on March 13. The measures provide uniform testing and labeling standards, and allowing hemp growers to use seeds certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Under current law, producers can only use seeds certified by a member of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies or a university that conducts hemp research.
The state’s first round of hemp licenses are expected to be awarded in March.
