A bill introduced in Springfield last week that would limit the key ingredient found in legal cannabis products has drawn swift pushback from both cannabis advocates and an influential trade group.
State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, said he introduced the bill ahead of a filing deadline at the behest of the Illinois State Medical Society, whose members have concerns about potency and the “skyrocketing” number of cannabis-related calls received by the Illinois Poison Center.
Batinick’s proposal would cap the amount of THC in cannabis flower at 10% and set a 15% limit for concentrates and infused products. Pam Althoff, executive director of the Cannabis Business Association, believes that such regulation would be unprecedented — and a burden on cannabis producers.
“It’s almost impossible, practically, to be able to do this,” added Althoff, who believes lawmakers should instead be focused on regulating alternative hemp-derived cannabinoids, like Delta-8 and THC-O, that don’t face the same stringent testing and oversight as legal weed products.
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