Politics
Pritzker Signs Bill Banning Sale of Intoxicating Hemp to Anyone Younger Than 21
Gov. JB Pritzker is pictured in a file photo at a previous bill signing. (Capitol News Illinois)
It is now illegal to sell intoxicating hemp to anyone younger than 21, under a bill signed Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker.
The measure will also make it illegal to sell delta-8 and other hemp-derived snacks and products in packaging designed to resemble popular brands of cookies, chips and candies starting Nov. 12, according to the measure. All products must be sold in child-proof packaging, according to the new law.
The new law will close a “loophole” that contributed to children, teens and young adults ingesting misleading or poorly labeled products, Pritzker said.
“Instead of letting an ambiguous marketplace keep putting people at risk, Illinois is taking action to protect consumers of all ages, especially children, from misleading packaging and labeling,” said Pritzker, who is running against Republican Darren Bailey in November’s general election for a third term as governor.
The measure will also ban intoxicating hemp sales outside state-licensed dispensaries starting in November.
A federal ban on the sale of products that contain less than 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the main intoxicating compound in cannabis better known as THC, is set to take effect in November.
Only non-intoxicating products, with less than 0.4% of THC, can be sold outside dispensaries once the new Illinois law takes effect, officials said.
The measure also allows any licensed dispensary to sell medical cannabis, which is taxed at a lower rate than cannabis sold for recreational purposes.
In addition, dispensaries can now offer drive-thru and curbside pickup and allow Illinoisians to possess double the amount of cannabis flower and cannabis-infused products, according to the measure.
The new law imposes the bulk of the regulations in an ordinance passed by the Chicago City Council in January but vetoed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Prohibiting the sale of intoxicating hemp products outside licensed cannabis dispensaries would destroy a burgeoning industry and punish “many of our small businesses who have been following the law and deserve to have a seat at the table,” including those owned by Black and Latino Chicagoans, Johnson said in his veto measure.
Such a ban is likely to create a “black market” and deprive the city of much-needed revenue from a product used by many adults, Johnson said.
The City Council failed to override Johnson’s veto.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
