Hemp business owners in Illinois are calling on lawmakers to approve legislation to regulate the state’s hemp industry instead of a bill that would ban products containing intoxicating cannabinoids including delta-8 THC.
Last month, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford introduced a hemp regulation bill that would ban delta-8 and other hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids. Such products are currently unregulated in Illinois and are widely available at retailers including smoke shops, gas stations and convenience stores, often as edibles including chips and sweets that mimic popular brands.
“We don’t know what exactly is in them,” Democratic state Representative Barbara Hernandez said at the time, according to a report from WGEM television news. “We don’t know the ingredients, they are not regulated to list the full ingredients and, as we see here at the table, there’s several items that look like products that we have had before.”
Lightford’s bill, dubbed the Hemp Consumer Products Act (SB3926), would also establish a licensing system for hemp product retailers and set requirements for the testing, packaging and marketing of hemp products. The measure, which is supported by the Illinois Cannabis Association, also mandates scientific research of hemp-derived intoxicating products to determine if they can be safely regulated and once again offered for sale in Illinois.
Tiffany Chappell Ingram, the association’s executive director, issued a statement calling for a “pause” of hemp intoxicant sales pending further research, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.
“We look forward to working with legislators to find a path forward that empowers consumers, protects minors and ensures the state’s adult-use cannabis law lives up to its full promise, including uplifting social equity license holders and communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs,” she said.
Business Owners Call For Regulation, Not Prohibition
Author: A.J. Herrington / High Times
