Chicago City Council committee moves to ban sale of intoxicating hemp products
A City Council committee on Wednesday backed a proposal to ban hemp-derived THC products in Chicago before a federal ban goes into effect in one year.
The License and Consumer Protection Committee voted to approve an ordinance banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products outside of licensed marijuana dispensaries.
The ban covers any hemp products containing THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, and other products that affect people similarly to marijuana.
Violators would face fines of up to $5,000 per offense. Several wards in the city already have hemp bans, but the ordinance advanced on Wednesday would ban the sale of the products citywide, except at licensed marijuana dispensaries.
Sponsors of the ban said intoxicating hemp products are sold in packaging that looks like candy or soda, and are often sold to children.
Dozens of businesses opposed the ban, saying it could force their stores to close.
A vote before the full City Council is expected next week, but passage is not guaranteed. Mayor Brandon Johnson opposes the ban, and instead has sought to regulate hemp products by setting a minimum age of 21 to buy them, while also establishing testing and labeling standards for the products.
The mayor's proposal also would have taxed hemp products to raise $10 million a year in revenue, and prohibited the sale of products designed to resemble candy, cookies, chips, or other snacks.
However, the mayor dropped that plan from his 2026 budget proposal after Congress approved a ban on hemp or CBD products with a THC content of greater than 0.4 milligrams starting in November 2026.