Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – What’s next, man bites dog?

It’s not often that anyone in the business sector comes to ask for more regulation and more taxation, but that is what is happening with hemp in Illinois.

Regulation. Taxation. Safety. A ban on products that look like kids’ snacks. Those are all part of a bill sponsored by State Rep. La Shawn Ford (pictured) (D-Chicago).

“This must be done right,” Ford told a statehouse news conference Tuesday, “without starting a new war on drugs in Illinois. I do not support a ban on an entire industry. And we shouldn’t hand over the independent hemp industry over to a couple hundred rich investors who already own the licensed cannabis market.”

Ford and others said Illinois is missing out on about $37 million a year in tax revenue.

HB 1498