During the 2023 spring legislative session, Illinois politicians and stakeholders wrangled over a cannabis omnibus that eventually failed because of the late inclusion and hard-line stance to ban delta-8 products. Since then, delta-8 advocates and adversaries have been making moves and preparing for the fall veto session and a new delta-8 regulation bill. The fall veto session includes six days, Oct. 24-26 and Nov. 7-9.
During the fall veto session, Illinois State Representative La Shawn Ford is set to introduce a new delta-8 regulation bill. In June 2023, state representatives, hemp advocates, and delta-8 business owners convened in the State of Illinois Building and discussed bringing together various stakeholders to negotiate a comprehensive plan to “safely and fairly regulate” the manufacture and sale of delta-8 and other similar intoxicating hemp products in Illinois.
After the June meeting, Ford, along with Illinois State Representatives Lakesia Collins and Cyril Nichols, called for additional safety measures, including:
Raising the purchase age to 21
Implementing strict licensing
Testing and labeling regulations
A tax on intoxicating delta hemp products
Verano, Cresco Labs, NGW, and Pharmacann supported the original omnibus ban of delta-8 products, and the hard-line stance for a complete ban played a significant role in the disagreement on the omnibus between the Illinois House and Senate. The proponents of the ban argued that Delta-8 is a dangerous synthetic drug and needed to be banned to protect children.
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