Hemp Growers In Illinois Push Back Against Proposed New Regulations
“It kind of fueled a second War on Drugs”
A legislative committee and the Illinois Department of Agriculture agreed recently to delay finalizing new regulations governing hemp production amid an outcry of protests from small, independent producers.
Those proposed rules have been in development for at least two years. But the most recent draft, submitted in September, contained significant changes from earlier versions that caught many in the industry by surprise. That included provisions allowing unannounced inspections and testing of hemp crops, restrictions on who could obtain a license to produce the crop, and the possibility of criminal sanctions for violations of certain rules.
Norma Fuentes, a lobbyist for the Illinois Hemp Business Association, which represents small, independent and minority-owned hemp businesses, said the rules threatened to put many of them out of business.
“It kind of fueled a second War on Drugs, disenfranchised social equity licenses and also financially burdened local businesses through some of the testing that they require,” she said of the latest proposed rules.
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