* Politico…
— HEMP HARRUMPH: Gov. JB Pritzker has called on House lawmakers to pass legislation to regulate hemp products during the lame-duck session, as POLITICO’s Mona Zhang reports. But Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing back. His team wants to slow down the discussion “to make sure Chicago is at the table” on hemp. “What the governor is doing is overreaching and trying to overrule Chicago’s home-rule authority to tax hemp on our own,” said a person close to the mayor’s office. Johnson supports strict public health regulations but also sees generating revenue as crucial.
The mayor’s office is pretty clueless when it comes to state stuff, and this is no exception.
1) The bill has been bouncing around for a long time in various forms. The current version passed the Senate in late May - 225 days ago. The time to be “at the table” was before then, or at least soon after.
2) From the governor’s office…
Nothing in this bill preempts Chicago’s home-rule authority. Arguments to the contrary are not based in law or fact.
Also, the mayors of Roselle, Aurora, and Waukegan are in support. They’re home rule municipalities.
* Also from the governor’s office…
Too many children have been hospitalized because of unregulated intoxicating products and predatory sales tactics. Instead of debating imaginary revenue strategies at the expense of children’s health, Governor Pritzker calls upon all elected officials to uphold their responsibility to protect our children and support this bipartisan, commonsense, and decisive action.
…Adding… The mayor’s office is in town today. Pic from Isabel of Kennedy Bartley…
I’m told the bill as of this morning had 62 House Democratic votes.
- Amalia - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:05 pm:
so does the hemp bill outlaw the very helpful hemp products that are used to alleviate pain? because that would not be helpful to people in pain. (asking for a friend…and all of us)
- Nitemayor - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:09 pm:
What is the bill number?
- JoeMaddon - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:14 pm:
Y’all can read the bill and see what is in it:
https://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=4293&GAID=17&GA=103&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=151160&SessionID=112
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:17 pm:
===Y’all can read the bill and see what is in it===
That link is already in the post, but thanks.
- fascinating - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:19 pm:
== so does the hemp bill outlaw the very helpful hemp products that are used to alleviate pain? because that would not be helpful to people in pain. (asking for a friend…and all of us) ==
NO. The bill doesnt outlaw anything. It simply regulates INTOXICATING hemp products and limits who can sell them and makes sure no one under 21 can buy them. Intoxicating hemp products will no longer sold over the counter at places like gas stations.
- levivotedforjudy - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:27 pm:
My mayor just walks into the 2025 door and immediately gets hit in the face with a pie. Please try doing your homework before talking this year.
- AgentOrange - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:29 pm:
Cannabis products are widely available in Illinois and this bill won’t change that. These products contain the same THC molecule, whether it’s made from hemp or licensed cannabis. However, the folks who use hemp to make these intoxicating products don’t pay taxes or observe the same safety requirements that the state’s other cannabis operations do. This bill requires producers who make intoxicating cannabis products from industrial hemp to follow the same licensing and consumer safety rules that the state’s licensed, tax-paying cannabis operators follow. No more delta-8 in gas stations and vape shops with unregulated, untested products that are intentionally manufactured to be attractive to kids. Pass the bill, then go to a licensed social equity dispensary for true, tested regulated hemp and cannabis products.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:29 pm:
If MBJ wants to tax hemp, he can work with City Council to pass a tax. More condescension from MBJ’s administration. You can see how well the general public understand this nonsense by looking at the Mayor’s approval rating. People intuitively know what’s going on when the Mayor speaks and almost uniformly reject what he says.
- Pundent - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:30 pm:
New year, same mayor. I know he’s in way over his head, but I would think by now he would have grown tired of being constantly reminded by the Governor and his staff.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:30 pm:
===No more delta-8 in gas stations and vape shops with unregulated, untested products that are intentionally manufactured to be attractive to kids===
The mayor apparently believes otherwise.
- Two Left Feet - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:32 pm:
At the table? We’ve already finished dessert.
- bluey - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:36 pm:
I simply cannot fathom that THIS is what the mayor is spending his very limited political capital on at this very moment when he needs so much from Springfield.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:39 pm:
===I simply cannot fathom that THIS is what the mayor is spending===
Believe it.
- Once again - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:45 pm:
Someone should send the Mayor the link to the legislative calendar so we can avoid these messy situations he keeps putting himself in. This bill already passed out of the Senate and has been debated for quite some time, perhaps years at this point.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:54 pm:
If the Governor decides not to run for a third term, maybe he could announce in the same press conference that he will run for Chicago Mayor in 2027. With a campaign slogan “Let’s Put the Adults Back in Charge.”
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 12:54 pm:
The governor’s response seemed harsher than his usual replies to the mayor. Maybe a little frustration in it
- Rudy’s teeth - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 1:06 pm:
With all the deputy mayors and CTU cronies at his disposal, Mayor Brandon Johnson is unable to make it to first base. When someone shows you who they are, pay attention.
- JoanP - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 1:09 pm:
For anyone who is interested, the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics is putting “Mayor Brandon Johnson in the Hot Seat” on Jan. 9. More info and link to register is at https://iop.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/iop/event.jsp?event=12059&
- Excitable Boy - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 1:09 pm:
- The governor’s response seemed harsher than his usual replies to the mayor. -
He’s still being extremely restrained given the constant provocation. I’d hoped the shakeup in Johnson’s office might start improving things but it doesn’t appear that’s the case.
- Politix - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 1:14 pm:
BJ’s got it upside down and backward, as usual.
- Beep booop - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 1:36 pm:
== Please try doing your homework before talking this year.==
Well we know the CTU’s thoughts on homework
- Shytown - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 1:49 pm:
You have to wonder what’s driving Johnson to put what little political capital he has left behind something like this. I’m going to take an educated guess and say that this has more to do with relationships he has with people in this industry than it has to do with ridiculous spin about home rule. It’s mind blowing how they can’t even get the basics down about process right by now.
- Matty - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 2:13 pm:
After a skim of the bill, I was not able to find the answer to whether this would prohibit mail/parcel delivery of Delta products to Illinois consumers from out-of-state businesses.
Anyone?
- OneMan - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 2:15 pm:
At this point I half expect him to have Taxman by the Beatles as his ringtone.
If you need revenue that bad, instead of waiting on the state why not just make video poker legal in the city.
- ChicagoBars - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 2:26 pm:
I know I’m 11 days late but…
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is every legislator City Hall approaches this week asking them if the City is suddenly hot for revenue why are they still balking at legal video poker a decade after GA gave them that option?
Pleaasssseeee Santa?
- Who else - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 2:27 pm:
What a time to be alive. Richard Irvin signs onto a letter in support of a bill Governor Pritzker is trying to move. The Mayor of Chicago opposes because…reasons?
- Nope. - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 2:36 pm:
Maybe Ms. Bartley can get the police unions to help her out?
I’m blanking on the rest of her statehouse allies at the moment….
- Chicagonk - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 2:36 pm:
@Matty - Most likely not. Where similar laws have passed, companies stopped shipping direct to consumer. The real point of this law is to drive more business to legal dispensaries.
- hmmm - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 3:37 pm:
The legal dispensaries overwhelmingly owned by rich white men that were created after an unfair process
- One and done - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 3:59 pm:
Actually the dispensaries are most owned by social equity candidates and IL has the most diverse industry in the nation. Sure litigation slowed it down the implementation but our burdensome legislation to make sure black and brown people got access to the market eventually worked. Now do we need to make entrance to the market easier? Sure. But that’s not the point you’re making.
- Juice - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 4:02 pm:
ChicagoBars. A decade? That bill passed in 2009.
Its been over a decade and a half now. And the city is still leaving that cash on the table.
Also, the City just passed its 2025 budget 2-3 weeks ago. Did that include revenue from this source? Or did the mayor just now discover that might be something he should look at after asking for a $300 million property tax increase that he was forced to abandon?
- Firefighter Tim - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 4:38 pm:
The gaslighting on this issue from the Governor and proponents in the General Assembly is at Trump levels.
If this is about health and how dangerous this product is to children….then why are we carving out industries that have influence under the dome (ABDI and Craft Beer Distributors)? If this was an unsafe product it would be unsafe for everyone, not just industries who don’t have powerful lobbyists. If Delta 8 was dangerous for our health, it would be dangerous in a gummy-worm or in a beer.
Go back and watch the Senate Committee when the bill passed. The sponsor and the chair of the committee, when faced with reasonable questions about the bill from opponents, instantly resorted to character bashing and gaslighting.
If we want to act like Trump and ram through a piece of legislation to help our friends, then fine….but the gaslighting on the issue is insane and needs to be called out.
- Sue - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 4:43 pm:
Has the 5th floor ever had anyone this incompetent and clueless sitting in the Mayor’s office- on the one hand it’s laughable but not if you live in Chicago- everything Johnson touches seems to explode backwards
- ChicagoBars - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 5:32 pm:
- Juice -
Man I can’t believe it’s been that long since Quinn and the ILGA passed that but then there was the lengthy Wirtz litigation and slow ILGA rollout so took awhile before any terminals showed up.
There was no revenue included from hemp taxes in the 2025 budget IIRC. Never made it into the revenue ordinance. Don’t think the proposed Chicago hemp tax ordinance ever got introduced either.
- ChicagoBars - Monday, Jan 6, 25 @ 5:34 pm:
- Firefighter Tim -
Since most of the Governor’s press conference has been on kids getting THC or Delta-8 from edible products that look like mainstream candies or from retailers who don’t card it sorta’ kind makes sense to sell thru the same system that already cards people millions of times a year before selling legal products, now doesn’t it?