FAMU may be late to Hemp party it was given early admission to

Two years ago the Florida Legislature and Governor Rick Scott gave FAMU and the University of Florida a head start on a potentially new cash crop by allowing the state's two agriculture schools to conduct research cultivating and growing industrial hemp. The authorization allowed the two universities to team up with private companies to conduct and pay for the research under the auspices of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  The goal was for the universities to report their research findings back to the state in 2019.

FAMU and UF were granted the authorization in June 2017.  Today, the FAMU Board of Trustees will continue vetting potential partners for FAMU's potential entry into in industrial hemp research. 

Fast forward to 2019: while FAMU continues to vet potential partners the great opportunity it was given by the Florida Legislature is closing rapidly.  On Tuesday, the state of Pennsylvania submitted a plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to that allows for the full commercial production of industrial hemp, other states are likely to soon follow Pennsylvania's lead.

Pennsylvania's move follows the passage of the federal farm bill in December, which removed industrial hemp from regulation.  The bill, which is now law, also allows interstate commerce of hemp products and hemp cultivation for any use.

So while FAMU had been given a potential golden egg, the university's inability to act could make it just another missed opportunity.