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State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, and state Sen. Lakesia
Collins, D-Chicago, are pushing a pair of bills, House Bill 4193
and Senate Bill 3790, that would restrict the sale of Delta-8
products to anyone under 21, along with taxing the products and
creating a new class of state licenses for hemp businesses.
At a news conference Tuesday, Ford said the measures will
address several issues.
“One, we have an unregulated drug that is being sold in the
state of Illinois,” said Ford “Two, there is no law in Illinois
to restrict the sale of this drug to minors, and three, Illinois
needs more revenue.”
Illinois cannabis industry groups have been pushing for more
regulation of synthetic intoxicants like Delta-8 and Delta-10.
The hemp industry and Illinois lawmakers have been in
discussions on how to better regulate the sale of hemp products.
Ford emphasized to those involved in the hemp industry that they
are not trying to shut their businesses down.
“While we want strong regulation, we don’t want to kill a
multi-billion dollar industry in Illinois that employs thousands
of people throughout our state,” said Ford.
Todd Harris, CEO and cofounder of the company that makes the
hemp-infused beverage Plift, said a collaboration with industry
leaders and lawmakers is key.
“To responsibly regulate our industry and provide a pathway for
reasonable taxation and us to be contributors to the state of
Illinois,” said Harris.
The 2018 Farm Bill made the distribution and sale of hemp and
its byproducts legal around the country.
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