Chicago hemp industry urges Mayor Brandon Johnson to veto upcoming ban

Members of the hemp industry in Chicago are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson veto a ban on most intoxicating hemp-derived products.

The ordinance was passed by the City Council last month and would ban the sale of most intoxicating hemp-based products starting April 1, but would include exemptions for beverages, additives, topical creams, and pet products. While licensed bars and restaurants would be able to sell hemp-based beverages and additives, only licensed cannabis dispensaries would be allowed to sell other hemp-based products not outright banned by the ordinance.

On Thursday night, local businesses and members of the hemp industry teamed up for a town hall event in the South Loop, urging Johnson to veto the ordinance.

"It will kill small business, it will take away city revenue, and it will hurt consumers," said Kitty Kurth, with the Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association, a hemp industry advocacy group.

Business owners said the consequences of the ban could be devastating for them.

"If this ordinance is not vetoed, businesses like mine face harsh choices: either we shut down, fundamentally change who we are, or leave Chicago entirely," said Ruby Mirza, owner of Kizmah CBD.

The town hall event hopes to push the mayor to veto the ban and allow discussions over hemp industry regulations to move forward.

"Basically, responsible management of these products, but not going so far as to just go out with an outright full ban," said Eric Harb, an executive at the Crazy Professor Hemp brand.

Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), who sponsored the ban, said last month that the current hemp industry was created by a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill passed by Congress, which set limits on the THC content of the hemp plant, but allowed for higher concentrations of THC in products.

Quinn said the ban approved by the City Council is needed to protect children from accessing such products.

"The stories I've heard about this product getting in the wrong hands is something that we can't ignore," he said after the council passed the ban.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's office did not respond to a request for comment on the push for him to veto the ordinance, but after its passage last month, he said he has "serious concerns" that the ban could hurt small businesses and create an unregulated black market for intoxicating hemp products.