BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch said in a town hall on Tuesday that lawmakers are close to coming to a consensus on Hemp regulation.
The Westchester Democrat said he occasionally sends out surveys to state representatives and believes, based upon the surveys, that a bill could pass soon that could regulate hemp.
"As my time as Speaker, it is the single most contentious topic," he said. "The issue has been so divisive in our caucus three times, but they don’t realize how close they are,"
One of the targets is the regulation of delta-8, which is a synthetic product that is typically manufactured from "hemp-derived cannabidiol," the FDA‘s website said. They give a similar high, but are often more potent.
It’s become an issue because it is unregulated. The potency sometimes isn’t properly labeled, which can cause medical complications and require a visit to the hospital, according to some lawmakers who back the regulation.
Some even said that these products have landed in the hands of kids.
On the other hand, these products are good money for small businesses. So, a tussle between both sides began with lawmakers. Welch said House members want Delta 8 to be regulated, but there’s just no consensus on how to get it done.
State Rep. Sharon Chung at the town hall said her one experience with delta-8 was accidental and negative, feeling the effects for more than 12 hours.
"You could read a certain number of articles about kids who’ve got their hands on something really bad," the Bloomington Democrat said.
Both Welch and Chung said hemp could also be a potential revenue source.
Gov. JB Pritzker tried to get hemp regulated at the start of the year, but it didn’t have enough Democrat votes.
According to our sister station, WCIA, Pritzker has recently said he could make an executive order regulating hemp if the state legislature doesn’t.
This issue could come up in Springfield during veto session next month.
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September 18, 2025 at 09:23PM
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