Two competing “intoxicating hemp” regulation bills failed to reach the floor for a vote after a lame-duck-session battle pitted Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (and stakeholders in the regulated cannabis industry) against Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (and hemp industry stakeholders).

The two competing hemp bills included House Bill 4293 and House Bill 5903. HB4293, which was supported by Gov. JB Pritzker and stakeholders in the regulated cannabis industry, would have essentially ban retail sales of intoxicating hemp products in Illinois. Dec. 13, Pritzker blamed intoxicating hemp for harming children and hurting the regulated cannabis industry, and during the lame-duck session, Pritzker called on House lawmakers to pass HB4293. After a rollcall during the four-day session, Pritzker believed he had the votes to pass HB4293, but after a few House members claimed they had been excluded from the hemp negotiations process, Pritzker was informed that HB4293 did not have enough votes to pass. At one point in the lame-duck session, amendments from HB4293 were jammed into House Bill 4292 in an attempt to bypass a committee hearing, but that also failed.

HB5903, which was introduced by Rep. Sonya M. Harper and supported by hemp stakeholders and farmers, would have placed regulations, restrictions, licensing, and taxes on intoxicating hemp products. During the lame-duck session, Johnson fought against HB4293 but mentioned consistently regulations for public health regulations and taxation of hemp and hemp products to generate more revenue that HB5903 would provide. With most of the focus and political capital spent on passing or not passing HB4293, HB5903 had little to no chance to be brought up for a vote.

The lack of communication between the Pritzker, Johnson, and House members was palpable before and after HB4293 failed a floor vote, especially when dealing with previous and current negotiations. In the past, Johnson claimed he and the Pritzker administration had been working together on the hemp bill to secure sore tax revenue for Chicago Public Schools.

“This week, the Illinois General Assembly’s House Democrats remained steadfast in their commitment to young people as it relates to the necessary regulation of hemp, delta-8, and synthetic intoxicants,” Johnson said, apposing HB4293. “Our communities require legislation that addresses concerns related to minor consumption, as well as opportunities for regulation that support entrepreneurs and municipalities . . . My team remains eager to be at the table with partners to develop and pass legislation that appropriately regulates hemp products, because our young people are depending on us. We must prioritize communities, while ensuring our negotiations do not unnecessarily create winners and losers in the industry.”

After HB4293 failed, Pritzker hosted a short press conference in which he addressed the negotiations, or lack thereof, for passing a comprehensive hemp bill.

“They [the Johnson administration] don’t reach out very often and it seems like they don’t have good relationships in Springfield, in part because they don’t do the outreach that’s necessary,” Pritzker said. “He’s called me perhaps five times [in] two years…the last call we got from them was in September. And then once in December. We, by the way, scheduled calls and then they didn’t show up.”

Hemp stakeholders, legislatures, and lobbyist opposed to HB4293 claimed that previous meetings with the Pritzker administration were less about negotiating the bill and more about Pritzker’s strong push for a yes vote to pass the bill. For more Illinois cannabis industry news, subscribe to Illinois News Joint’s newsletter here.

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