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RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE STATE OF FLORIDA PLAN TO ENCOURAGE AND PROMOTE THE CULTIVATION AND PROCESSING OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP; DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO ORGANIZE AND HOST ONE OR MORE INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE FLORIDA INDUSTRIAL HEMP PROGRAM; AND DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO PREPARE A REPORT ON THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE MIAMI-DADE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY TO CULTIVATE AND PROCESS INDUSTRIAL HEMP PRODUCTS AND TO PARTNER WITH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

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WHEREAS, agriculture is a leading industry in Miami-Dade County, employing 20,000 people and producing $2.7 billion in impact to the County�s economy; and
WHEREAS, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has had effects on the Miami-Dade row crop industry and its replacement United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) will likely continue to affect Florida farmers according to a 2019 study by the University of Florida�s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County has been a leader in agricultural innovation and experimentation; and
WHEREAS, industrial hemp has potential for use in a variety of products, including food, oil, fiber, cosmetics, textiles, and fabrics; and
WHEREAS, according to the Congressional Research Service, while hemp and marijuana derive from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa, federal law defines the two products separately, requiring that hemp have less than 0.3 percent delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); and
WHEREAS, the Agricultural Act of 2014, P.L. 113-79, (�the 2014 Farm Bill�) and Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334 (�the 2018 Farm Bill�), introduced further regulatory distinctions between hemp and marijuana; and
WHEREAS, the 2014 Farm Bill provided for new policies related to industrial hemp, specifically allowing research institutions and state departments of agriculture to cultivate and study industrial hemp; and
WHEREAS, the 2018 Farm Bill excluded industrial hemp from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, and directed states to create their own regulations to license the production of industrial hemp by authorized growers; and
WHEREAS, the 2018 Farm Bill further made hemp eligible for crop insurance programs and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) research and development programs; and
WHEREAS, in 2019 the Florida Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1020 to establish the state hemp program within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; and
WHEREAS, the state is developing hemp program rules regulating licensures and cultivation practices for review and approval by the USDA; and
WHEREAS, the state has promulgated draft rules for its industrial hemp program, which must be submitted to the USDA within 30 days of adoption in accordance with Senate Bill 1020; and
WHEREAS, regarding USDA approval, the Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried was quoted in a July 8, 2019, article in the Washington Post as stating �I�d like to see the first seeds in the ground in 2019�; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade growers may have the potential to leverage industrial hemp as both a summer rotational crop and a mainline business with significant opportunities to develop value-added products, creating local jobs in a new and rapidly expanding market; and
WHEREAS, with the State of Florida embracing industrial hemp through research institutions, there are new opportunities to capitalize on the agricultural research institutions in the County such as the University of Florida Institute for Food and Agricultural Science Tropical Research and Education Center and the Florida International University Agroecology Program, to ensure Miami-Dade takes a leadership role in the growth of this industry,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that:
Section 1. This Board supports the State of Florida plan, enacted in Senate Bill 1020, to encourage and promote the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp within the State of Florida.
Section 2. This Board directs the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to organize and host one or more informational sessions on the application process for the Florida industrial hemp program prior to the State opening licensing applications.
Section 3. This Board directs the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to prepare a report on (a) the opportunities for the agricultural industry in Miami-Dade to cultivate and process industrial hemp products and (b) the opportunities to partner with research institutions at the University of Florida, Florida International University and other institutions of higher education on production, cultivation, and use of industrial hemp.
Section 4. This Board directs the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to provide a report to this Board within 90 days of the effective date of this resolution including, among other things, recommendations resulting from the study, and to place the report on an agenda of the Board pursuant to Ordinance No. 14-65.