Tallahassee CBD business raided, thousands of dollars in hemp seized

Karl Etters | Tallahassee Democrat

For the second time in as many months, law enforcement officials seized thousands of dollars worth of hemp flowers from a Tallahassee CBD business.

On Tuesday morning, Tallahassee Police raided Natural Life on West Pensacola Street, seizing about 10 pounds of individually packaged and loose hemp flower. The products are considered industrial hemp because they contain only a trace amounts of the euphoric form of THC in marijuana, said Alex Petrick, a manager for Natural Life.

Cannabidiol or CBD oil has natural anti-anxiety effects, anti-seizure effects, anti-tumor effects, anti-inflammatory effects and can be used to battle a host of mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders.

In all, Petrick said, more than $25,000 worth of product was seized along with security camera footage. Last month, TPD,acting on a federal search warrant for a U.S. Postal Service package, seized 2 ounces of hemp and 84 individual doses totaling 2 additional ounces, according to court records.

Petrick noted that a sign on the storefront clearly states that Natural Life is not a medical marijuana treatment center.

“We believe these products are legal. I think there is a misunderstanding of the law,” Petrick said. “We have met with the lead narcotics officer that was here and he met with our lawyer as well through speakerphone. And together they went through the different laws.”

TPD spokeswoman Rachelle Denmark could not confirm or deny a search and seizure took place saying only “it is an active case.”

The move contradicts the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill Act, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against Drug Enforcement Agency interference in hemp commerce from earlier this year and an administrative law judge’s ruling that the plant is not a Schedule 1 drug and is mailable, said Petrick’s Tampa attorney, Michael Minardi.

Minardi, who is also the chairman of Regulate Florida and a cannabis industry advocate, said he has been working with TPD for several months and has offered to take products off the shelves investigators feel may be illegal.

Minardi said he was in the process of filing a lawsuit against several law enforcement agencies, including TPD.

Since April, postal packages and CBD and hemp-containing products have been seized from Natural Life. But the fact is, he said, what is being sold at Natural Life and other shops around the state comply with federal law.

“The analysis that law enforcement has been taking throughout the state is contrary to federal law, case law and the rights of people in this state," Minardi said.

In 2014, the use of non-euphoric cannabis was legalized by Gov. Rick Scott to treat conditions such as epilepsy, Lou Gehrig's disease and cancer. The use of medical marijuana to treat debilitating medical conditions was approved by 71 percent of Florida voters in 2016.

The products being sold at Natural Life and other places like it across Florida are required to come with a certificate of analysis, confirming what compounds they contain, where they are cultivated and potency if applicable. They often certify whether a product falls under the category of non-euphoric hemp or medical marijuana.

Similar products like those seized at Natural Life, which remains open for business, can be found at Whole Foods, Walmart and on Amazon.

There are often discrepancies among law enforcement agencies, Minardi said.

“In every area of the state, they are treating these products differently. All of the products that I recommend all my clients to have, and these people have, have certifications of authenticity,” he said. “Law enforcement has to continue to proceed with caution before they start making arrests and seizing peoples’ products and destroying their lives.”

Tallahassee Democrat reporters Ashley White and Jeff Burlew contributed to this report.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter