Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced that Holly Bell, a Nashville consultant and banker who worked to help the hemp and cannabis industry, will be the first cannabis director in the state of Florida.
The new director will be tasked with overseeing the department’s involvement in the state’s medical marijuana program, directing the development of food standards and being a patient advocate, Fried said at a press conference in which she announced her decision.
The new director, who grew up on a farm and has family in Florida, will make about $110,000 per year.
“There’s a lot at stake in our state to do this right,” Fried said. “Holly’s knowledge and understanding of the management of programs and startups and the experience of bringing people together to implement a vision makes her a bold and bright choice to build the future of cannabis in the state of Florida.”
The new director, who has a combined experience of two years in the cannabis sector, graduated in agricultural economics from Purdue University in Indiana.
Bell, who has banking experience, has worked as a consultant in Tennessee since August. She recently worked in Denver, where she spent two months writing educational content for the Safe Harbor Program, a financial services company that connects cannabis businesses with banks in Colorado.
The Miami Beach-based marijuana advocacy group, Florida for Care, issued a glowing statement on Wednesday afternoon, saying that Bell was the perfect choice for Fried’s office. Eric Stevens, the group’s managing director who had applied for the position.
John Morgan, a long-time medical marijuana advocate
