Want to be a director of cannabis, make $120K, no drug test required? Florida has the job for you – By Skyler Swisher (South Florida Sun Sentinel) / Jan 28 2019
Florida’s new agriculture commissioner is looking for someone passionate about cannabis to fill a job that pays up to $120,000 a year.
And don’t sweat a drug test — it isn’t required.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is creating a “director of cannabis” position that will focus on developing Florida’s hemp industry and implementing rules on edibles for medical marijuana patients.
Fried, a South Florida native, made medical cannabis a focal point of her campaign, announcing her candidacy in a video that included shots of marijuana plants.
“What type of ag commissioner could be against a plant and the farmers who grow it?” said Fried, a Democrat and former medical marijuana lobbyist.
The new director of cannabis will be responsible for promoting the growing of industrial hemp in Florida, which could be used for fiber, building materials, forages for cattle, or a topical oil that may have health applications, said Franco Ripple, a spokeswoman for Fried. The position will also require monitoring the Florida Department of Health Department’s actions on medical marijuana and overseeing the agency’s inspecting responsibilities for the manufacture of edibles.
The Health Department regulates almost all of the state’s medical marijuana program. More than 167,000 patients across the state have qualified to use medical marijuana, according to state statistics.
The salary range for the director of cannabis job will be from $90,000-$120,000 a year, and Fried expects to fill the position in the next few weeks, Ripple said.
The office has received 17 applications, including from a former Hooters assistant manager from the Tampa Bay area and from the director of licensing and compliance for a California-based medical marijuana consulting group.
As a result of policies dating to prior administrations, the state’s new cannabis director won’t be required to submit a drug test, Ripple said.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-director-of-cannabis-20190128-story.html
