The full Chicago City Council will vote on whether or not to ban hemp-derived THC products Wednesday.

The License and Consumer Protection Committee voted to move the proposed ban forward on Dec. 3. It would ban the sale of hemp-derived THC products outside of dispensaries.

Hemp-derived THC products include Delta-8 and Delta-9, which are currently legal to sell outside marijuana dispensaries due to what some call a loophole in Illinois' Industrial Hemp Act, which legalized and regulated hemp farming in 2018.

Recreational marijuana was legalized in Illinois in 2020, but is subject to different and stricter regulations.

The Industrial Hemp Act anticipated the plant would be used to make industrial products – like fiber – and also used to produce CBD oils that are marketed as having therapeutic, but not intoxicating, properties.

But hemp has increasingly been used to create synthetic products with intoxicating compounds that are not regulated. Gov. JB Pritzker has vocally opposed these intoxicating hemp products, saying they undercut the state's legal marijuana industry and puts children and teens in harm's way.

While a statewide legislation to either ban or regulate these synthetics has stalled in Springfield, the Chicago ban has continued to move forward. Supporters say the products come in packaging that looks like candy or pop, and are often sold to children.

But dozens of business owners oppose the ordinance, saying it could force their stores to close.

Mayor Brandon Johnson opposes the ban. Instead, he wants to regulate hemp products by setting a minimum age of 21 to buy them while also establishing labeling and testing standards for those products. Johnson has offered an alternate proposal that would tax hemp products to raise $10 million a year in revenue, and probihit the sale of products designed to look like cookies, candy, chips or other snacks.

The mayor dropped that plan from his 2026 budget after Congress approved a ban on hemp or CBD products with a THC content of greater than 0.4 milligrams starting in November 2026.

Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.