Jay Work opened his first of five Grateful J’s smoke shops in Margate in 1995. He sells familiar smoking products: water pipes, rolling papers, and lately, an array of THC-infused hemp products that distributors contend were legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill.
Customers might be surprised to see signs that Work posted around his stores urging them to vote “No” on Amendment 3, the measure that would legalize adult-use marijuana in Florida.
The number of smoke shops in Florida, like Grateful J’s, has increased by more than 1,000 since 2019, according to data by the state Department of Revenue. Hemp entrepreneurs say an explosion of hemp products since 2018 has fueled the growth.
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They’re identified by the department as retail stores engaged in the sale of “retailing cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, pipes, and other smokers’ supplies.” Their number increased from 630 in 2009 to 1,579 in 2019, and by another 1,053 over the past five years. They totaled 2,632 in 2023. Taxable sales at smoke shops increased from $615 million in 2019 to $1.7 billion in 2013…