Chicago City Council committee advances proposal to limit sale of hemp products to dispensaries

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A group of Chicago alderpersons voted to approve and advance a proposal Wednesday to put limits on the sale of hemp products in the city.

Under the proposal, products could only be sold at dispensaries.

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The measure is facing opposition and was hot issue before Wednesday's Committee on License and Consumer Protection meeting at City Hall.

The proposal was approved by the committee and will now go to the full Chicago City Council for a vote soon.

Thirteenth Ward Alderman Marty Quinn is leading the charge. This proposed city-wide hemp ban would mean that businesses would be outlawed from selling any sort of hemp-derived product or face hefty fines, upwards of $2,000-$5,000.

Some examples of these products include hemp beverages and gummies.

Violations could also lead to businesses having their licenses suspended or revoked.

Hemp beverage manufacturers and retailers said they are against this ban, along with Mayor Brandon Johnson.

"We suspect it'll be sent to the states and we don't think it's prudent or helpful to local businesses to cut preemptively ourselves off from what has become a big business," Jung Yoon, chief of policy for Mayor Johnson's office, said. "We total agree easy access to children is big problem."

"We are reputable businesses with longstanding Chicago roots," Glenn McElfresh, CEO of Plift, said. "Our hemp beverages are fundamentally different than the mystery gas station synthetics and unregulated and often imported items that have shaped public misperceptions about hemp products in general."

This comes as the Trump administration is set to enforce a federal ban on hemp and THC products starting in November 2026.