The Illinois hemp industry is in a frenzy over new legislation moving forward in Springfield that business owners say will put popular products out of reach and push the THC lounges and CBD shops that dot Chicago-area neighborhoods out of business.
Starting in July, Illinois would ban the sale of any hemp-derived THC, or delta-8, from being sold, except at state-licensed cannabis dispensaries. That means those products would no longer be sold at breweries, gas stations and specialty lounges and stores.
Non-intoxicating hemp-derived products made with extracted cannabidiol (CBD) could continue to be sold, though members of the hemp industry say limits set forth in the measure are so low that too would be impossible.
"The bill is so restrictive it would outlaw almost everything in my store," wrote Jennifer Weiss, owner of Cubbington's Cabinet, which makes and sells personal and pet CBD-infused products out of a shop in Ravenswood.
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