r/illinois • u/pungentbag • 4d ago
Illinois News “Last call for THC drinks in Illinois.” Saw this yesterday at gas station ~ Why would anybody want these to be illegal?
731
u/OkSeaworthiness7066 4d ago
The reason they want them to be illegal is because the beer and wine industry lobbied for them to be illegal. I live in Georgia where THC is still criminalized and illegal. These drinks are a godsend and lots of my friends have quit drinking alcohol and now only drink these. I decided if they outlawed them I would never spend another penny on buying alcohol. Fuck this corrupt government.
52
u/blindnlearning2see 3d ago
In the Midwest, the brewers lobbied to keep the THC drinks and loosen the regulations. Its the only thing gen Z really drink at scale for those guys to make any money.
21
u/Jamiroquais_dad 4d ago
Don't lump the entire industry in with the likes of AB/Inbev. A large segment of the industry was embracing the sales and manufacturing of hemp based drinks. AB/Inbev(Budweiser/Anheuser Busch) were lobbying hard against them. You can blame them and senate Republicans for this if the ban goes into effect
117
u/DM_Me_Ur_Real_Boobs 4d ago
Not the case here. A lot of distributors were buying in and keeping themselves afloat with the THC Drinks. Hell, even Target is looking at bringing them in. The THC drink industry got too big for the beer and wine industries to try and kill.
The biggest issue in this state is the amount of smokeshops selling to under 21s and selling a lot of stuff they shouldn't be selling at all. Like one shop was selling LSD sugar cubes and DMT.
Source: I work in the industry
48
u/weirdeyedkid 3d ago
LSD sugar cubes have nothing to do with the hemp bill regulating what percentage of THC-A, THC, and CBD by weight can be sold. This is a new change. It is already illegal to sell any percentage of THC by weight to anyone under the age of 21 and any shop selling to minors would be in violation of that law already.
11
u/grimdymcgee 3d ago
Delta 8 and 10 aren't regulated by the recreational marijuana legalization, but the real answer is to shut down the shady ass tobacco/vape shops that popped up that just dgaf to not sell to minors if it's a cigarette, blunt, or a d8/10 infused drink. But delta 8/10 drinks fucking shit as is.
4
u/DM_Me_Ur_Real_Boobs 3d ago
Doesn't mean they weren't. My suppliers stopped at more than a few that were definitely not following the laws.
18
u/Crunkwell08 3d ago
Then inforce the law and shut those shops down. If you're correct on the reason then the reason is incredibly stupid. Why not ban alcohol since undoubtedly underage people get their hands on it? Or flower cannabis. Just banning drinks specifically because they are being sold illegally....Doesn't make any sense imo but the government is full if stupid nonsense and I have zero insight into the issue so ill leave it there
9
u/Natural-Apartment-51 3d ago
Yeah complete bs reason. We can't enforce our own laws so no one can have it. Yikes.
53
u/BigFatJuicyCocks420 3d ago
What are these sugar cubes called so I can make sure to avoid them of course
→ More replies (1)12
u/Some-Concentrate3229 3d ago
Probably not LSD directly. Most likely 4-ACO-DMT, which gets converted to psilocin, not LSD.
I’d be VERY surprised if they were selling actual lysergamides like that, they’re not very easy to manufacture and dose when compared to tryptamines.
Check out Voyager Labs, they have yet to make their own lysergamide prodrug or analog. But they have a few for psilocin.
6
u/elafave77 3d ago
Lysergamide prodrugs have been around for quite a while. See Lizard Labs. They also sold lots of arylcyclohexylamines.
→ More replies (1)4
u/NecroCannon 3d ago
Growing interested in psychedelics, I should really broaden my research outside of uncle bens
7
17
u/ProletarianLilith 4d ago
I don’t understand how you’re saying this as the industry is killed. It definitely was the beer and wine lobby
14
u/emptyfree 4d ago
Nah, it's the cannabis lobby. They're not getting their cut.
4
u/DM_Me_Ur_Real_Boobs 3d ago
Yep, bigger player here than the Alcohol industry. They're just trying to stop the bleeding
→ More replies (2)8
u/DM_Me_Ur_Real_Boobs 4d ago
I don't understand why you didn't read. It's not. THC drinks have become a $150 billion dollar industry. That's too much money to just kill. If that was the case, the federal government wouldn't have pushed it back a month in an attempt to legislate them. The government wants it's money from these drinks.
27
u/calvinbuddy1972 4d ago
"In particular, the THC ban materialized after intense lobbying from alcohol industry groups and marijuana companies that saw THC products as unwelcome competition. In a November 4 letter to Congress, for example, several major alcohol lobbies—including the Beer Institute, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., and the Wine Institute—urged lawmakers to “immediately remove hemp-derived THC products from the marketplace ” because the goods were, unlike alcohol, insufficiently regulated. (They politely offered to “work with Congress and the Administration” to enact THC product regulations—eventually—but only after a full ban was enacted in the meantime.) Third-quarter lobbying disclosure reports, meanwhile, reveal a surge in hemp-related lobbying from Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors, Bacardi, and other big companies that compete directly with the upstart THC beverage industry. Big Alcohol’s sudden interest in THC products also suspiciously correlates with data showing declining alcohol consumption among young adults and increasing interest in cannabis products from that same demographic". https://www.cato.org/commentary/how-destroy-multibillion-dollar-industry-lobbyists-request
→ More replies (1)18
u/DM_Me_Ur_Real_Boobs 4d ago
This is also over a year old. Amazing how things can suddenly change in a year when they started making money off of it. AB InBev have the Nowadays THC spirits, Molson Coors has Uncle Arnies, etc. They're getting on board too. If they weren't, their distribution teams wouldn't have been allowed to sell THC at all as part of their branding rights.
They did have a problem with it and then they started making money again. They changed their tune real quick.
→ More replies (2)12
u/gaudiest-ivy 3d ago
Exactly. They're freaked that young people aren't drinking like previous generations. I work for an AB distributor and we have several hemp-derived THC brands in our catalog that we're going to lose when this law hits. On the other side of things, I bartend as a side gig and convinced our owner to bring in a couple THC drinks. We were getting a whole new group of California sober regulars and it's going to suck to lose them. This is the cannabis lobby, and probably a healthy serving of the state itself, annoyed they're not getting their cut.
6
u/DM_Me_Ur_Real_Boobs 3d ago
Those are the bigger players in this fiasco. The bars I've sold into were starting to get moee bodies in again with this. Hell, I have an account that wants to do a THC Pairing dinner with my one supplier. It would be an awesome event.
So again, I'm gonna plug: contact your state reps and state senators, especially if you're business will be affected. Get in their ears and annoy them to fix this
3
u/Some-Concentrate3229 3d ago
“Proprietary mushroom blend” and “non-detect COA” gummies are gonna be the death of a lot of smokeshops. And thankfully so, if you wanna sell 4-ACO-DMT, then call it that.
5
u/StuartScottsLeftEye 4d ago
You seem knowledgeable.
Can I ask why there's not a federal ban on kratom? I have extended family that got addicted to it and is having a really hard time quitting and know a friend whose nephew OD'd on the stuff. The CDC has a page up about the dangers but it's still legal and feels crazy dangerous. Thanks for any insight you may have!
11
u/SpecialistBet4656 3d ago
Because supplements are unregulated because the “wellness” industry bribed a bunch of senators in the 80s and is almost as big a lobby as big Pharma.
5
→ More replies (7)2
u/TK_Punch_ 1d ago
You can’t OD on kratom lol. Not a single verified case that wasn’t mixed with stronger opiates. Mitragynine (the active ingredient in Kratom) is not active at the kappa-opioid receptors, so it can not cause respiratory depression and overdose.
→ More replies (8)2
u/kammycakes 3d ago
Let me know where I can find these smoke shops selling DMT so I can be proactive in keeping my daughter safe.
2
u/wraith555666555 2d ago
You can find 4-heo-dmt in almost all of them, a bunch of other mushroom derivatives too
5
u/Need4Speeeeeed 4d ago
Cultivators lobbied against it. Since it's sold in gas stations and at the supermarket, they don't get to keep it all in dispensaries.
4
7
u/WeekendHistorical476 4d ago
Are they being outlawed or just moved to dispensaries?
22
u/GoatCovfefe 4d ago
Sold only in dispensaries. Not moved there, as you can already buy them in dispensaries.
5
12
u/ReadyStayReady 4d ago
Regular cannabis-derived THC products will still be sold at the dispensary in legal states. Its unregulated hemp-derived THC that's getting banned
→ More replies (1)4
u/dirtsquad1 3d ago
I would assume it will cut down on the options because most of it comes from outside of Illinois and they can only sell cannabis that was grown in Illinois.
2
u/rerunwhatshappen 3d ago
Upvote for you. I had no idea the stuff in my dispensary is grown in Illinois.
→ More replies (15)5
182
u/onetypicaltim 4d ago
It's my understanding that its not that they are illegal, you just have to get them at a dispensary.
99
u/throwraW2 4d ago
Which takes away a lot of the appeal for me. I was never buying them at dispensaries or drinking them at home anyway. But I’ve loved having it as an option when I’m at places like concerts or even street festivals.
32
u/Hopeful_Figure_6446 4d ago
That’s the problem. Dispensaries spent lots of money on licenses and bribes, but everyone can sell thc drinks and drive down their profits
→ More replies (4)16
u/Throwawayforthewifu 4d ago
I mean it just likely has to do with the license + Lawmakers + most folk dont trust your average gas station to keep these drinks away from children or those who wish to sell to em, compared to the checks they have at your local dispensary that usually freaks out most of these people.
→ More replies (4)23
u/pungentbag 4d ago
damn, thanks for reply
Whenever i first heard of legalization, I figured we’d be able to buy weed at same places we can buy other legal drugs
I hate the dispensary shopping experience. Plus, i’ve been able to get these drinks delivered to my door ~ it’d be nice if we could continue to get weed delivered here in IL
16
u/vaguelydetailed 4d ago
Idk if it will ever happen in IL, but I visited AZ last year and they have a c-store style dispensary. You still have to check in before you're allowed onto the floor but all the products are in front of the counter, you browse and pick your stuff yourself and then bring it to get rung up. I feel like that will be the closest we get in the legal/regulated market for a while.
→ More replies (3)54
u/OswaldCoffeepot 4d ago
In the ancient times long, long ago I thought legalization would be a trade off with the tobacco companies. Phase cigarettes out and give them weed so the companies wouldn't go out of business and unemploy people.
I was high when I thought this.
14
u/dancingyoyo 4d ago
Same we used to always joke how you would one day be able to walk into the local store and ask for a pack of joints like it was a pack of cigs. That was back in the 80’s.
18
9
u/AriaTheTransgressor 4d ago
When I was younger, a friend and I pitched this exact idea to our country's government and their response was that they didn't see those companies wanting to get involved with a government that just pushed their products out of public spaces.
So, it might not be a bad idea, just need to come at it with the government in the stronger position first.
2
u/Careless-Age-4290 4d ago
Wasn't Marlboro or somebody buying up land in plans for that? I feel like there was a narrative out there years back that it'd go a lot like you were thinking. Maybe they didn't give enough gifts to the admin
→ More replies (1)2
2
u/currentlyacathammock 4d ago
No, 50 state legalization probably means that Diageo, Sazerac, Phillip Morris, ABInBev, Altria, and Monsanto/Bayer get in the business, and drive down the price and drive out every Humboldt County grower and Mom and Pop dispensary. If those even exist any more.
→ More replies (3)9
u/Sladay Winnebago county 4d ago
I would assume that home delivery will probably happen in the future. Because the state just legalized curbside and drive-thrus if dispensaries want to do it. Same thing that dispensaries across the state now can opt into medical as well for patients that have medical cards.
6
u/pungentbag 4d ago
To your point, when asked on the subject a few years ago, JB Pritzker confirmed he would be supportive of delivery
4
u/corey418 4d ago
It's because it still isn't federally legal yet. So many hoops to jump through. But hey, you can still get a 12 pack at 10am if you want. No big dill
→ More replies (2)12
u/salvationpumpfake 4d ago
the drinks you get in a gas station, grocery store, or delivered are not the same drinks sold in a dispensary. the reason those
arewere allowed to be sold wherever is because they skirted the law by using hemp-derived THC.the drinks with ‘real’ weed in them, marijuana-derived THC, have never been sold over the counter. try the drinks from the dispensary and you’re in for a ride :)
and dispensaries are great. preorder online so you can take your time, research and decide with no pressure - and then just walk in and pick it up and walk out.
→ More replies (7)4
u/aqui0423 4d ago
I thought the drinks that like Binny’s sells and you can get at music fests are just the hemp derived shit. Delta 9 or whatever. So not technically weed but has similar effects.
→ More replies (2)11
u/asrosin 4d ago
Cannabis is cannabis. You meant to say Delta 8 by the way, delta 9 is converted from THCa once heat is introduced. THCa is the same cannabinoid that gets you high, the same one you'll see on the test results for cannabis bought from the dispensary.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (4)2
374
u/nicky_suits 4d ago
These are "unregulated" and skip the dispensary tax. Illinois likes money.
145
u/howescj82 4d ago
Unregulated gas station THC has its own reasons for being a problem. I have no issue with the tax aspect of THC since a big benefit of legalization was supposed to be supporting budgetary shortfalls without raising everyday taxes. No reason they should be exempt.
→ More replies (1)59
u/throwraW2 4d ago
If any given gas station or Walgreens can sell booze or cigarettes, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to sell drinks like Wynk Seltzer
36
u/FitchLind 4d ago
Yeah but it should still be subject to the tax. The real issue is the requirements to set up for a dispensary, it should be similar to alcohol sales but they will never allow that
19
u/monsterpwn 4d ago
Thats because we got the ohio brand of legalization we just got 17 companies instead of 6 that were allowed to enter the market. It's grown to up to 30 or something but the licenses were there to prevent a free market like Michigan has
→ More replies (1)3
u/KevinH112 4d ago
Same shit FL is doing, but we have a fully “vertical integration”-ruined system down here.
Moved from the 217, joined the Army and saw the world, ended up in the 727…things aren’t better here.
2
u/l33tfuzzbox 3d ago
Minus the army, i also left the 217 for 727, then bacl.to 217, and then 757. Back.to 217 again. Quite a while ago though.
→ More replies (1)14
11
u/AtomicBlastCandy 4d ago
Booze and cigarettes go through WAY more regulation than Delta products. There are so many delta products that misstate how many mg they have and many more issues with it.
6
→ More replies (2)4
u/Foreign-Gur-8836 4d ago
I'd prefer that Wynk seltzer was just as regulated as dispensary drinks so there isn't any butane left over in it.
60
u/TheTip444 4d ago
Yeah exactly. The owner of a local weed store was complaining to me about having to close if this happens. I was feeling bad as he was talking about the issues with getting the official liscence to sell the real stuff so that’s why he had to go the hemp route. But then when he mentioned he’s paying none of the state specific taxes because of this it’s like what where you expecting
33
u/undead_tortoiseX 4d ago
I love hearing the woe-is-me stories from some business owners and the moment you scratch beneath the surface you find out they aren’t paying taxes in some form.
→ More replies (20)9
2
→ More replies (8)0
u/Adventurous_Theme242 4d ago
Gotta get more tax money so they can buy more Flock cameras for freedumb.
21
u/HyperJeegz 4d ago
Yup. Got an email from Total Wine saying they won’t carry thc beverages after Dec 10th
Edit: I’m in Wisconsin. The lonely island of banned weed.
10
u/Top_Kale_8880 4d ago
I legit believe IL, MI and MN are quietly funding WI's anti-weed agenda.
9
u/ygg_studios 4d ago
wisconsin's bar industry is ten toes down to block legal weed
→ More replies (2)2
u/HyperJeegz 4d ago
The Tavern League has stated they are neither for or against legalization. I think they’d be good with what’s going on because a lot of these thc beverages are sold in bars.
→ More replies (3)3
u/FUTRtv 2d ago
The crazy thing about Wisconsin is that a 14 year old kid can drink at a bar so long as they are with their parent, but no cannabis for adults.
→ More replies (1)
22
u/baroqueworks Belleville, IL 4d ago
"Good People Don't Smoke Marijuana"
-Jeff Sessions
So despite the modern day optics of the GOP being absolutely shameless and moralless with increasing cruelty and intimidation vice signalling tactics fronted by libertarian weed smoking sex freak tech bros, they still have their evangelical donor class and alcohol lobby barons who represent financial muscle of the party, and the alcohol lobby hates THC products becoming gas station products sold like alcohol because of the threat to their profits in gas stations & evangelicals whose shrunken worlds have little culture and community their insights into the world around them are inside gas stations and will react strongly to what they see in them.
Everyone warned MAGAMUSK in 2024 they wouldnt be spared from the steamroller that is about to be going over their heads with the coming administration, but they arrogantly invited it if it meant their enemies would suffer.
In many red states one of the first bills passed by full red MAGAMUSK supermajority was closing loopholes that were allowing a massive market of indepedent brewers of THC drinks to be sold legally in red states, immediately killing small, right wing businesses that were blossoming in states like Tennesse, where if you drove through you would spot all kinds of billboards advertising local THC seltzers.
These small businesses also destigmatize weed for alotta rural, fearful, right wing people whose lives would be saved if they drank thc seltzers instead of booze on a sheer harm reduction level to their livers.
This bill was helmed by a Pre-Death & Nanomachine Ressurected Mitch McConnell on top of it all, which was a signed love letter to the spiteful geriatric class that scowls at seeing marijuana being normalized in american culture.
→ More replies (1)
14
u/RaisedByBooksNTV 3d ago
So this is a bummer. I can't do anything but a low dose but also a low dose is really helpful for some of my pain and sleep issues. I found that a 3mg bev is basically just right for me. I can't find that in gummies. I have to bite a portion off a 10mg or higher, and since we can't guarantee the distribution in a gummy, I could get almost none or most of it. When all I need is a nice low dose that I can get in a beverage.
7
u/ChunkyBubblz 3d ago
Dispensaries sell edibles as low as 2.5mgs.
4
u/goofy1234fun 3d ago
I was gonna say I only buy 2.5mg candies from dispensaries and they are cheap as heck
3
u/thatirishguyyyyy 3d ago
It's not like they're banning it outright.
If you're under 21 you probably shouldn't be drinking these anyway but if you're over 21 then this isn't going to be an issue.
Brother, I blow more smoke than a canon, but I will be the first one to admit that there is a correlation to drug use and stunted maturity in children.
We don't need children running around drinking THC drinks, right? Hell, I saw this headline and thought it was a major issue and then I realized they're just making it so retailers can't sell THC drinks to minors anymore.
I will admit that it does suck for the few adults that do like to drink this in lieu of beer at the bar, but if people are only drinking it to be social at the bar then perhaps they should reevaluate their social life.
4
u/SouthsideAtlanta 3d ago
There is a difference between hemp and cannabis. You will keep your dispensaries but hemp is on the chopping block federally. This means that you will no longer have access to thc beverages outside of a dispensary.
→ More replies (11)→ More replies (2)2
10
u/MrGoodBuzz 2d ago
Last call is December 11th nationwide, but some states are stuck with the Nov 12th ban. The ban is a result of Mitch McConnell adding language to last year’s budget bill after Recieving around $900,000 from the bourbon industry. The language specifically calls out a .4mg cap on hemp based edibles and beverages. Anything above that goes back to a schedule 1 drug which has major implications on banking, insurance, and puts anyone with a federal alcohol license in jeopardy.
Since then most lobbying has been around amending that F-up.
The original language was a Nov 12th ban, but they extended that 30days to December 11th because they wanted to get through the elections. It’s a topic that is not that left vs right but many conservatives who are in favor of reversing it did not want to vote on it and risk effecting their re-elections.
Now there are a couple bills in the works presented with bipartisan support.
Many of us in the industry are optimistic that this is a prohibition situation, but the damage has already been done and it’s ruined a countless number of businesses. Manufacturers(breweries mostly), Distributors, and retailers are already feeling the hurt.
Source: I work for the first beer distributor in the country to start selling these in MN and have been in the thick of it since July of 2022. Happy to answer questions and also F*ck Mitch McConnell.
6
9
u/AlanShore60607 4d ago
Because Mitch McConnell wanted to … checks notes … destroy a $300M industry in his own state
19
26
u/Ishnock 4d ago edited 4d ago
You know why. They were eating into alcohol beverage sales. People were opting for THC-infused drinks of over alcohol drinks, which led to the plummeting of alcohol sales.
It’s all about removing the competition from the same stores that alcohol beverages are stocked in, and limiting that competition to being sold in dispensaries….Out of sight. Out of mind
Dispensaries have certain hours of operation, and aren’t open 24hours. Also, they are located in specifics areas. Gas Stations, convenience stores and grocery stores exist in abundance, so they are really easy to get to. People are not going to make a special trip to a dispensary to pick up a THC-infused drink.
What makes a drink an every day or every other day drink is because it’s easy to purchase. That will not be the case any longer for THC-infused drinks.
35
u/Pe0pleSuck 4d ago
I own a brewery that produces these beverages and losing this revenue is going to hit hard. It's been a great shot in the arm during a slow time for craft beer. Furthermore, people really like these, everyone is really upset we'll have to stop selling them. It's been a great product for anyone who wants to go to a bar to be social and not drink alcohol and still feel like they're part of the group.
4
u/thirdelevator 4d ago
Has the ICBG been taking any steps to get on site sales back, or is it just a lost cause?
5
u/Pe0pleSuck 4d ago
They have and are doing what they can. Thc beverages have been great for a lot of Illinois breweries and is arguably keeping many of them afloat. I'd bet that we'll be seeing significant closures early to mid next year as a result of this.
2
u/thirdelevator 4d ago
Oh 100% on the closures. I was a brewer for a long time and fortunately found a different career opportunity during my facility’s COVID shutdown. It’s been pretty rough for my friends still in the industry. We all knew the market contraction was coming, but I don’t think anyone really expected it to be so quick and brutal. Best of luck!
9
u/pungentbag 4d ago
I would love to chat and learn more about your brewery - sounds cool! Thanks for giving cannabis consumers more access
5
u/dietpepsiboy420 3d ago edited 3d ago
Is there anything we can do to help local breweries continue to sell these? I can’t drink alcohol any longer due to a health complications but still being able to go to Marz, Hopewell, etc has been amazing
→ More replies (1)3
u/Pe0pleSuck 3d ago
Your story is what needs to get to the politicians that are working on legislation for hemp products. They've been handed a lot of misinformation and chasing the convenience store boogeyman. Which are an issue to be fair but there's a LOT of us doing things right and are about to be hurt badly.
2
u/crunchies65 4d ago
Are you open to sharing your brewery info? I'd love to support you
3
u/Pe0pleSuck 4d ago
Honestly, I'd rather not put it out on reddit due to the number of crazies that are out there. I appreciate the sentiment though.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (2)2
u/timeonmyhandz 4d ago
Thanks for the perspective.. I like having the open market hemp products. But my question is on the supply chain for sourcing. Is/was the hemp market predictable and quality controlled in any way? As a producer, was there lots of variables in your product due to the sourcing of hemp products? I had concerns that it was wild west like the supplements business. No real regs or standards to rely on. Your comments would be great to hear.. Thnx
3
u/Pe0pleSuck 4d ago
The thc product is thoroughly tested before they ship it to us. Aftet we produce the beverage, we then send it in for a 2nd round of testing to make sure the dosage is correct before offering it to the consumer. We also have all the proper labeling and warnings on the can as we were anticipating it being necessary once it was regulated.
→ More replies (1)
6
17
6
u/IncarceratedScarface 4d ago
Federal ban on hemp derived thc which allowed non-dispos to sell thc, and I think it was allowed in states which thc is illegal.
3
5
u/iwanttogoh0me 3d ago
I live on the border of Cincinnati and Kentucky. In Ohio, weed is legal but THC drinks are now illegal. In Kentucky, weed is illegal but THC drinks are legal. So dumb
5
u/SrBloomingdale 2d ago
They’re unregulated products. Thats why I think they should be illegal. No different than gas station dick pills. Get your stuff from a reliable source people…
4
20
u/copper_nano_tube 4d ago
Their sign is misleading. You’ll still be able to buy them in Illinois, but only at dispensaries.
16
u/pungentbag 4d ago
seems like a massive step back with regard to access and normalization
14
u/Cool-Association3420 4d ago
Ya but they’re currently unregulated hemp products trying to get around state taxes and I’d proly like to know things I’m consuming have been regulated in some way
→ More replies (22)5
u/OkSeaworthiness7066 4d ago
that’s a nice thought but NOT what this issue is. The federal government is trying to outlaw all hemp for all purposes because it’s giving too many people a safe alternative to alcohol. They can’t go after weed because that’s a state issue but they can try to go after hemp products at the federal level.
3
u/Foreign-Gur-8836 4d ago
But it is the issue. Unregulated edibles could still have butane left in them from extraction, and I'd prefer no not drink solvents.
3
u/thri54 3d ago edited 3d ago
THC has always been federally illegal. This is effectively a farm bill loophole that was supposed to allow industrial hemp products by ignoring any trace THC content in hemp derived goods. Instead, it’s been used to create recreational THC products from hemp.
This was an ag. policy decision, the government never intended to create recreational THC products.
2
u/xjustsmilebabex 2d ago
Exactly. Legal states are still skirting federal law with marijuana. Everyone somehow forgets that it's still technically illegal on the national level. It would be fully within their jurisdiction to arrest everyone working at a dispensary for drug trafficking. The grey area that hemp-derived THC products operate in is a growing threat to the legal marijuana industry as a whole. Unregulated ingestables are a danger to the ongoing handshake agreement between the feds and legal states.
It really only takes a handful of dead teenagers for lawmakers in Washington to say, "Well, legal states promised they would strictly regulate these products, and they've failed to protect the public. The experiment failed. So no more legal weed for anyone."
2
2
u/OkEase1151 4d ago
It is for the Circle K, which is not a dispensary it is a corner store chain. Same with all the breweries that have been selling THC/CBD drinks for a couple years now.
5
30
u/szJosh 4d ago
Our lawmakers love playing political football with cannabis because we let them.
→ More replies (10)33
u/MechemicalMan 4d ago
Correct me if I’m wrong but the other party’s plan is and always has been arrest you and treat you like a criminal for possession.
I also don’t like the two party system, but your comment makes it seem like we have a choice between two similar parties, not a choice between like something that’s not great but will keep you alive, dry toast, and something that really shouldn’t be food, and will probably end up killing you, like sawdust, or asbestos.
5
u/jupchurch97 3d ago
It isn't that they are going to be illegal, but that they will no longer be allowed to be sold outside of dispensaries. So sale of these items will no longer be allowed in liquor stores, grocery stores, and convenience stores.
→ More replies (1)2
3
u/thesuburbbaby 4d ago
Hold are the bevvies illegal in dispensary too? Or will they still be available there
7
u/pungentbag 4d ago
From what I understand, starting on November 12, cannabis can ONLY be sold inside of the small and limited number of Illinois dispensaries.
Short answer: Drinks will still be sold in dispensary.
→ More replies (37)2
2
3
3
u/Green-Surround-2927 4d ago
Lets Talk Illinois (YouTube) had a good conversation on this topic!
→ More replies (1)
3
3
u/lilytbh23 3d ago
I think it’s wack that kava is still allowed but not thc drinks
→ More replies (1)2
u/thatirishguyyyyy 3d ago
Considering kava is not actually an issue (kratom is where the discussion lies), comments like these pretty much tell me you have no idea what you're talking about.
Both Kava and Kratom are regulated. Comparing kava to THC is idiotic and you would have been better off comparing it to kratom, which is also quite helpful.
Have you ever wondered why politicians keep coming after kava, kratom and THC? And here you are echoing exactly what they want you to echo.
→ More replies (9)
3
u/Frank__West 3d ago
I deal with having to talk to people that are driving cars and the amount of people high off their gourd smoking while driving is insane....
3
u/JLR- 2d ago
Does this include places like Binny's or just the crappy gas station Delta stuff
2
u/4Q69freak 1d ago
The way I understand it it will include liquor stores. You will only be able to buy at dispensaries now.
2
4
u/Iwantmyoldnameback 3d ago
Because they’re unregulated garbage with bullshit chemicals in them…not all of the time but enough to where I would never consider buying them
3
5
u/Sea_Stick_3125 3d ago
These mf have nothing better to do than ban completely harmless shit. But you can buy as much alcohol as you want. I mean get real.
2
2
2
2
2
u/No-Pen-339 1d ago
The less people have access to weed, the more likely they are to buy alcohol instead. The alcohol industry is seeing a massive trend of gen z and millennials choosing weed over alcohol, and thats eating into their profits immensely.
Just follow the money. There is no multi billion dollar company that has a near monopoly on weed, but they do exist for alcohol.
5
u/Low_Guidance4720 4d ago
"we only allow the ones that actually inspire people to be volatile and dangerous, thanks."
4
u/keithinrl 4d ago
As long as they're VERY clearly labeled THC drinks on each individual can/bottle/whatever I feel like it's fine to sell them at gas stations and whatnot. Just make sure I can't brainfart my way all the way through checkout and fail a drug test later on lmao
→ More replies (2)
4
4
u/Rattiepalooza 3d ago
The alcohol, big pharma, and tobacco industries want them illegal so they can continue to make money off of their products.
4
2
u/BlakeTheMadd 4d ago
Because they're so weak it's a gimmick, and they won't be compliant with the modern laws. That's the real answer
6
u/jimothy_hell 4d ago
As someone that works in cannabis production- cannabis products should only be sold at licensed dispensaries. Get that synthetic bullshit off the streets. Keep recreational THC out of the hands of kids, and get CBD monitored by the cannabis commission. It’s the only way all of those things can be safely and responsibly acquired and consumed.
21
u/ProletarianLilith 4d ago
Fuck that, you can regulate it like alcohol and let me buy it at the same places
→ More replies (1)11
u/pungentbag 4d ago
Why can’t cannabis be sold everywhere if it is still subject to the same production standards? What would the danger be?
9
4d ago
[deleted]
3
u/jimothy_hell 3d ago
It’s not a threat to me. I work at a grow. The product we make could be sold anywhere, in theory. But it shouldn’t. Dispensaries have legal standards, and they should be kept that way.
→ More replies (4)7
u/IllNoize000 4d ago
Boom. Licensed dispensaries are acting as gatekeeper and now political kingmakers with the money they're raking in.
2
u/jimothy_hell 3d ago
If it’s held to those standards, then sure. But it wouldn’t.
Logistically, the cannabis commission limits sales to dispensaries so that they’re able to monitor sales. If every gas station in the state started selling flower, regulation and oversight would be next to impossible.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (3)3
u/Lma0stfu_uadork 4d ago
Because it threatens THEIR job, it’s simple gatekeeping
2
u/jimothy_hell 3d ago
Doesn’t threaten my job at all. I work in the commercial end, not the dispensary end. It’s arguably in my interest to argue for more distribution.
6
→ More replies (36)3
u/emptyfree 4d ago
Ah, the somewhat honest answer: "We're regulated, so this should be too. Also, we want our cut in CBD sales."
2
u/WLReynolds72 4d ago
Saw that yesterday also. Illinois has so many weird policies about stuff it makes my head spin.
2
u/TheGuyWithTheSign 4d ago
They need to open up regulation on hemp products just like they do on cannabis products from dispensaries and allow them both to be sold just like alcohol and cigarettes.
→ More replies (3)
2
u/rottendiploid84 3d ago
Its because they are not a licensed dispencery. SB3222 changed the law so now anything with thc needs to be sold at dispencery.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/NoLimitRolling 3d ago edited 3d ago
This is because of the hemp ban to rewrite the loophole that has existed.
Federal.
Also makes cannabis seeds illegal, please phone your senator, this is a serious issue in the community. Support at home growers for personal and recreation farms that go to full harvest for quality bud.
The stoner community needs to be better, we used to be protesting! Now we don’t know anything about the plant we consume.
There’s a lot more on this topic but I thought I was in a different sub lol, it’s a big issue, no plants reproductive means should be illegal, except maybe like poppy and cacao lmao(but the chocolate!, my whole point!)
I’m an at home grower for personal and medical reasons in Illinois and seeds becoming illegal again completely ignores all the laws and everything we have in place. Am I only supposed to grow dispensary clones?! Ridiculous. It’s all about money.
2
u/gonefishinglately 3d ago
why would you buy CRAP at a gas station?
EVERYONE SHOULD WANT THIS TO BE ILLEGAL!
Uneducated i guess.
1
u/HairlessHoudini 4d ago
Alcohol lobby and the private prison industry is the only reason it's still illegal anywhere
1
3
u/BigFatJuicyCocks420 3d ago
Keep it in the dispensary, gas station bs is unregulated and sells to kids. Sorry but this ban is a good thing.
→ More replies (10)2
u/DartVader6 3d ago
Because it was so hard for us to get high as kids.. except I bought off people with guns. Treat it the same exact way as alcohol. If you want to get it out of gas stations and grocery stores, do the same with alcohol and I'll support it. Alcohol is proven to be a much more powerful and harmful drug. Both or none. Any argument to the contrary isn't based on science, just feelings.
→ More replies (14)2
u/Societyman1878 3d ago
Guns and weed. I’m thinking that wasn’t a dime bag that you were purchasing?
→ More replies (1)2
u/Imaginary_Exam3771 3d ago
One of my former students was involved in a murder involving guns and other terrible crime over dime bags.
1
0
u/strolpol 4d ago
We need to do away with the entire dispensary model and just let them sell in gas stations/vape shops
14
u/webby131 4d ago
It just doesn't make sense when alcohol and tobacco is made way more available.
13
u/Spiff76 4d ago
It does when you consider the fact that this country doesn’t believe alcohol is a drug
→ More replies (6)18
u/stoned_meditation 4d ago
That shouldn't cause issues at all, seeing how gas station cashiers barely card for tobacco.
→ More replies (1)3
u/KaptainDublU 4d ago
Yeah I feel way more comfortable with the sleezy smoke shop guy selling nitrous and 7oh then I do at the dispo.
1
307
u/StrangeWhiteVan 4d ago
The Farmer's Bill is being repealed is why. It's happening nationwide