Alderman seeks restrictions on sale of THC psychoactive hemp products

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) on Thursday proposed restrictions on where products containing Delta-8 THC and other psychoactive hemp products can be sold in Chicago.

Hopkins said the federal Farm Bill passed in 2018 inadvertently legalized the sale of Delta-8, the primary form of THC, essentially allowing such products to be sold unregulated in any retail store. Such THC products are commonly sold for use in vaping pens, edibles, and concentrates.

The alderman's proposal would ban the sale of such products anywhere but at regulated cannabis dispensaries licensed by the state.

"We are in the midst of a public safety crisis with regard to unregulated pot shops opening across the City of Chicago," Hopkins said in a statement. "These retailers are selling very potent products with the psychoactive ingredient known as Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC, with minimal regulations and no enforcement by the state."

However, Hopkins' proposal hit a roadblock on Thursday, when another alderman moved to have his proposal sent to the City Council Rules Committee, where proposed legislation is often left to linger without a vote.