BLDG B MULBERRY, FL. Back in February 2026, state inspectors walked into The Vape Cave, a hemp specialty shop, and found hemp extract products on the retail floor that, according to their own certificates of analysis, contained synthetic cannabinoids, which are controlled substances prohibited under Chapter 893 of Florida Statutes. Stop sale orders were issued on the spot.
That was not the only stop sale trigger inspectors found that day.
What Inspectors Found
VIOLATIONS FOUND
CORRECTED ON SITE
The inspection, conducted February 13, 2026, produced 17 total violations and 0 corrected on site, with one narrow exception: a required sign stating that hemp extract intended for inhalation cannot be sold to anyone under 21 was missing when inspectors arrived, and staff posted it before they left.
Everything else remained unresolved.
Inspectors documented that hemp extract products on the retail floor were not in child-resistant packaging, a direct violation of Florida law. Multiple products lacked expiration dates. Others had no batch numbers. Quick response codes on packaging did not link to the required certificate of analysis. Products were missing the number of milligrams of each marketed cannabinoid per serving, serving size, servings per container, and the name and place of business of the processor or distributor.
The violations continued. Hemp extract products intended solely for inhalation were not labeled with the required statement "Not Intended For Ingestion, Do Not Eat." Some hemp products contained color additives, which is prohibited. Others were shaped like animals, humans, or cartoons, a separate violation because such designs are considered attractive to children.
Kratom products carried their own set of problems. Various kratom capsules and tablets on the retail floor lacked a supplement facts panel on the packaging. Separate kratom products were not labeled with the concentration of 7-hydroxymitragynine, the compound abbreviated 7-OH, expressed in parts per million on a dry-weight basis, as required under an emergency rule that took effect in 2025.
The shop was also operating without a valid food permit. An application had been submitted, according to the inspection record, but payment had not yet been made.
The Stop Sale Orders
The volume of stop sale orders issued during this single visit was significant. Three separate orders cited Chapter 893, Florida Statutes, the state's controlled substances law, because the products were found to contain substances prohibited under that chapter. Those products cannot be sold, transferred, or moved without written release from a state inspector.
Additional stop sale orders covered products with labeling violations across multiple categories: missing required information, non-compliant container requirements, and unapproved source concerns tied to products whose ingredient lists used proprietary blends without disclosing sub-ingredients. Each of those orders requires the shop to contact the state's Business Center and request an inspector visit before the products can be released for sale.
None of the stop sale orders were lifted during the visit. Zero violations in the stop sale categories were corrected on site.
What These Violations Mean
The controlled substance finding is the most serious item in the record. When a hemp extract product's own certificate of analysis shows it contains synthetic cannabinoids, that product is not a hemp product under Florida law. It is a controlled substance. A customer buying it has no way of knowing that from the shelf, because the packaging, in these cases, did not accurately reflect what was inside.
The labeling violations compound that problem. When a hemp product has no batch number, no expiration date, and a QR code that does not link to a certificate of analysis, there is no practical way for a consumer to verify what they are buying or trace it back to its source if something goes wrong. Florida law requires those elements precisely because hemp extract is consumed by people, and without them the product is effectively unverifiable.
The kratom violations carry a separate layer of concern. The 7-OH concentration requirement exists because 7-hydroxymitragynine is the compound in kratom most associated with opioid-like effects. Without that number on the label, a buyer has no way to gauge potency. The missing supplement facts panels mean buyers also lack basic dosage and ingredient information that federal and state law treat as mandatory for any product sold for human consumption.
Products shaped like animals or cartoons, or containing color additives, are prohibited specifically because they are designed in ways that attract children to products that are legally restricted to adults.
The Longer Record
Two of the 17 violations from February 2026 were marked repeat, meaning inspectors had cited The Vape Cave for the same problems on a prior visit. Both repeat violations were among the most foundational: operating without a valid food permit, and selling hemp extract products containing synthetic cannabinoids. The shop had been told before that its permit status was a problem. It had been told before that products on its shelves contained controlled substances.
The inspection type listed in state records is "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit, Product Re-inspection Required," which indicates this visit was itself a follow-up to a prior enforcement action. The prior inspection had already flagged the permit issue and the synthetic cannabinoid issue, and both were still present when inspectors returned in February.
The inspection record does not provide a prior inspection count for this facility beyond what is reflected in the repeat violation designations. What the record does show is that on the day of the February 2026 visit, 17 violations were documented, zero were corrected on site in any meaningful category, and stop sale orders covering controlled substances and multiple labeling failures were left in place when the inspector walked out the door.