A legislative committee and the Illinois Department of Agriculture agreed recently to delay finalizing new regulations governing hemp production amid an outcry of protests from small, independent producers.
Those proposed rules have been in development for at least two years. But the most recent draft, submitted in September, contained significant changes from earlier versions that caught many in the industry by surprise. That included provisions allowing unannounced inspections and testing of hemp crops, restrictions on who could obtain a license to produce the crop and the possibility of criminal sanctions for violations of certain rules.
Norma Fuentes, a lobbyist for the Illinois Hemp Business Association, which represents small, independent, and minority-owned hemp businesses, said the rules threatened to put many of them out of business.
Industrial hemp was once a significant crop in the United States in the 19th century when it was used for making common products like rope and textiles. But it came under strict government control in the 20th century because of its close biological relationship to marijuana, first with the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, and later with a complete ban with the passage of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.
Read more at Marijuana Moment