Craft cannabis growers in Illinois try again to overcome industry opposition to expansion
The day before Illinois’ spring legislative session ended, lawmakers were poised to pass a wide-ranging cannabis bill that was meant to save struggling small businesses. The measure had largely been agreed upon by stakeholders in months of meetings.
But large cannabis companies and some lawmakers suddenly pushed to include a ban on hemp-derived products like delta-8 THC. That controversial measure blew up any agreement on the all-in-one “omnibus” bill.
The Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, which represents most of the existing industry and large growers, instead got the tax breaks it wanted approved, while the small business bill failed.
The Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition, which was , issued statement saying, “Our lawmakers failed us
