Intoxicating cannabis products like delta-8-THC would be banned in Illinois under a proposal in Springfield — prompting cannabis companies to fight for their survival.
“Big Cannabis has no interest in regulations for cannabis companies like mine,” Charles Wu, CEO of Nexem hemp grower and Chi’tiva stores that sell delta-8, told the Tribune. ″What they have been pushing for is a complete ban of our industry.”
“The ban is for intoxicating cannabis,” said Pam Althoff of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, which represents licensed marijuana businesses. “Normal CBD products that have small amounts of THC are perfectly legal, and nobody’s attempting to stop their production.”
No bill had been introduced to ban cannabis as of Thursday afternoon, but lobbyists were working to add the ban at the last minute to an omnibus bill that covers a wide range of changes to cannabis law, from increasing craft grower size to allowing business tax deductions.
The dispute is a consequence of the 2018 federal farm bill that legalized cannabis and “all derivatives.” The law defined cannabis as cannabis that has less than 0.3% delta-9-THC, the main component of pot that gets users high.
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