Office of the Governor

401 S Spring St

Springfield, IL 62704

555 W Monroe St, 16th Floor

Chicago, IL 60661

Dear Gov. Pritzker,

We write on behalf of the undersigned companies as well as hundreds of other small Illinois hemp businesses who have  collectively invested tens of millions of dollars to provide safe and quality products to millions of people and pets throughout the state.  We have entered into multi-year leases, invested in equipment and obtained all of the required State and local licenses.  Our adult consumers use these products therapeutically and recreationally and our businesses span the range from farmers who grow hemp to hemp processors, manufacturers, brands, retailers, wellness clinics and consumption lounges.  This is a vibrant, diverse industry that includes many people of color and immigrants.  Our companies' main focus is on hemp products, and we take the legitimacy of the hemp industry very seriously.  We already take safety precautions such as careful testing and labeling and voluntarily limiting sales of ingestible and inhalable products to consumers over the age of twenty-one.

For the last several years, many of our companies have been advocating for strict regulation and taxation of intoxicating hemp products as well as prudent health-safety measures for non-intoxicating CBD products.  We have worked with legislators and have put forward comprehensive legislative proposals that ensure the safe manufacture and sale of our products and also level the competitive playing field between hemp and licensed cannabis industries.

Unfortunately, for two spring legislative sessions now, rather than being included in fair negotiations, we have been brought "to the table" only to be told that all our businesses - and many others - would be banned.  Most recently, House Bill 4293 was pushed through the Senate at the last minute while our concerns were ignored, even when we correctly pointed out that this bill is so broad and punitive that it will effectively ban the sale of all hemp, including non-intoxicating CBD lotions, cosmetics and pet products.

We share the most important goal of keeping children and consumers safe.  We also respect the fact that the competitive interests of the licensed cannabis industry must be taken into account. We remain hopeful that a fair solution can be found that achieves those goals without erasing an entire industry, closing hundreds of hemp-only businesses and eliminating thousands of jobs across the state.

The current proposal, HB 4293, destroys the hemp industry and hurts millions of hemp consumers in Illinois.  It will shutter store fronts across the State, leaving thousands jobless.  It does nothing to address unsafe hemp products being shipped across our border and favors out-of-state competition.  This approach is fundamentally unfair and does not deserve your support.

We stand ready to come to the negotiating table to work out a fair and effective solution.  We hope to have this opportunity in the coming months.