‘A Super Slap in the Face.’ Longtime Florida Advocates Ridicule Out-of-State Cannabis Czar Pick

Holly Bell, a Nashville consultant and banker who worked to help service the hemp and cannabis industry, will be the state’s first director of cannabis

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February 7, 2019

TALLAHASSEE - Her three-page résumé may only have the word “cannabis” twice but as of Wednesday, she’s Florida’s first pot czar.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced that Holly Bell, a Nashville consultant and banker who worked to help service the hemp and cannabis industry, will be the state’s first director of cannabis — a $110,000 per year job.

The director will be tasked with overseeing the department’s involvement in the state medical marijuana program, directing rule-making for edibles and being a patient advocate, Fried said at a press conference announcing her decision.

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Investigation Began Before Trulieve’s Holyoke Facility Worker Died

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