Chicago Moves to Ban Intoxicating Hemp Product Sales

A Chicago City Council committee last week voted to advance a ban on hemp-derived THC sales within city limits, Block Club Chicago reports.

The ban would cover any products containing hemp-derived THC, and violators would face up to $5,000 in fines per offense.

The city’s License and Consumer Protection Committee advanced the measure 10-6 on Wednesday. The architect of the ban, Alderman Marty Quinn of the 13th Ward, said before the vote that hemp product retailers are “shady operations.” The ban is set to be considered by the full City Council sometime this week.

Public commentary preceded the vote, where local hemp supporters and business owners jeered the proposal, the report said. The hemp industry has also found an ally in the hospitality industry, as restaurants and bars have benefited from intoxicating hemp product offerings.

Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also opposes the ban and instead called for setting the minimum age to purchase the products to 21, creating mandatory testing and labeling standards, and creating a new hemp product tax to generate additional revenue for the city. However, the mayor dropped his plans following the Trump Administration’s decision last month to effectively kill the hemp THC industry next November.

Ivan Capifali, Commissioner for the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said on Wednesday an outright ban would be difficult to implement.

“A full ban of this magnitude is unprecedented to Chicago. The way it is presented right now is going to take a lot of manpower. We’ll have to test everything to see if it’s hemp or not.” — Capifali, via Block Club Chicago