Gov Pritzker called Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s decision not to call the bill “irresponsible,” saying he believed it would have passed with a bipartisan majority had he done so. And he criticized House Democrats for the treatment of members of his staff who appeared at Monday’s caucus meeting.
Hemp Today (paywall)
A bill aimed at regulating the hemp industry in Illinois, specifically targeting delta-8 THC products, failed to pass in the state legislature. House Bill 4293, rejected this week, sought to prohibit packaging that mimics marijuana and restrict marketing strategies appealing to minors.
The measure is among many legislative and regulatory initiatives in several states, with recent actions also coming in Missouri, Hawaii and Ohio.
Patch
Hemp Bill Backed By Big Cannabis, Governor Fails In Illinois House In Lame-Duck Session
The Illinois hemp industry and the mayor of Chicago mobilized against the governor to block broad new state regulations on hemp-derived THC.
SPRINGFIELD, IL — A proposal to impose a series of new regulations on hemp-derived THC products failed to pass the 103rd Illinois General Assembly in the final day of its lame-duck legislative session.
Backed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the lobby for the state-regulated but federally illegal cannabis industry, the bill faced opposition from the hemp-derived and CBD product industry, which is federally legal but largely unregulated at a state and local level.
The Hemp Consumer Products Act passed the state Senate 54-1 in May but faced opposition from a minority of the Democratic supermajority in the House.
“Certainly what happened with regard to the hemp bill is potentially a demonstration of challenges that the House will have in organizing to overcome some of the challenges we’re going to face this spring,” Pritzker said Tuesday at a news conference.
The legislation aimed to regulate “intoxicating hemp products” with Delta-8 THC by limiting sales to state-licensed cannabis dispensaries and banning synthetic THC production and mandating age restrictions, testing and labeling requirements.
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