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Top mayoral aides on Thursday outlined the broad strokes of their plan to license and regulate hemp products — and prohibit sales to minors — to minimize a serious health risk without stifling a burgeoning industry with revenue-raising potential.
Chicago’s public health commissioner, Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige, and Ivan Capifali, acting commissioner of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, did not unveil a specific citywide ordinance to fill the void created when Johnson helped tank statewide hemp regulations championed by Gov. JB Pritzker.
But they did urge the City Council to fill a regulatory void that has allowed hemp products to be marketed to youth and prone to contamination.
The regulatory framework embraced by the Johnson administration ranges from “product testing and labeling at the wholesale level” to maximum content limits.
The sale of hemp products would be prohibited to anyone under age 21, as would any advertising geared toward young people. Warning signs would have to be posted at the point of sale.
A protective bubble also would be created to prohibit retail hemp dealers within 100 feet of elementary schools and day care centers or within 500 feet of secondary schools and high schools. On-site consumption also would be restricted.
The Johnson administration has yet to draft a specific ordinance, but the breadth and cost of the local regulations suggested was staggering. And alderpersons who sat through the three-hour presentation before a joint City Council committee questioned whether the cash-strapped city has the capacity to do it.
“We just went through a budget process this year where, arguably, we know we’re heading into a bigger deficit coming this year. And that’s without Donald Trump doing what he’s gonna do to all of the different departments and the funding to begin with,” said Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th).
“And then, when I think about how you prop up and build a whole new department and get the amount of people to be able to effectively enforce — that’s the challenge I see. ”
Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) was equally skeptical.
“This just seems monstrous in terms of the size and scope,” Lee said.
Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) said there are “very few consumable products that the city is the only one regulating.”
“I know we do food inspection. We test the chicken based on the standards for chicken. We don’t test to see that it is chicken or that it’s organic or hormone-free,” Lawson said.
“When we go into this space that is so sort of fraught with unknown — on chemical compounds, on location of origin — we are really setting ourselves up to really go down the rabbit hole for what it’s going to take.”
Capifali and Ige did not respond specifically to questions on regulatory capacity and costs. Ige argued the absence of state and federal regulation of hemp products creates a dangerous situation for consumers.
Capifali argued a “streamlined regulatory framework” locally would “unlock new opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs while ensuring public safety remains front and center.”
Revenue Subcommittee Chair William Hall (6th) closed the marathon hearing with a promise to draft a specific ordinance.
He want to slap a 15% tax on hemp products — five times the current 3% tax on cannabis products.
Zoning Committee Chair Walter Burnett (27th) has introduced an ordinance to ban the sale of hemp products to anyone under 21. But he would rather see the General Assembly fill the regulatory void in a way that generates more revenue for the cash-strapped city budget.
“}]] The Johnson administration hasn’t drafted a specific ordinance, but the breadth and cost of the local regulations suggested was staggering. And alderpersons who sat through the three-hour presentation before a joint City Council committee questioned whether the cash-strapped city has the capacity to do it. Read More
