Illinois Bans THC Product Sales to Minors

If you're a parent who has been concerned about your teens buying all the colorful gummies, drinks, or vapes that contain hemp-derived THC, Illinois just made a major change you need to know about.

Parenting in a Pot World

As a mom of two tween daughters, I worry about a lot of things.

I worry about the effect social media will have on their lives. I worry about bullies at school. I worry about them growing into successful, caring, and productive adults, and now we have the pot issue to contend with.

For the record, I have zero problems with pot when it's used responsibly, but that doesn't mean I want my children using it when they are young.

Kids today are exposed to a lot of products that look harmless at first glance. I'm talking about hemp-derived products that are sold in packaging that resembles candy, snacks, or other treats that appeal to younger consumers.

I can totally see my kids buying one of these "treats" and not realizing what it actually is until it's too late, and that's one of the major concerns a new Illinois law is trying to address.

New Illinois Law Banning Intoxicating Hemp Products for Minors

Since recreational cannabis use became legal in Illinois, the law has prohibited selling it to anyone under 21, but intoxicating hemp products? Not so much.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a new law that puts intoxicating hemp products under many of the same regulations as recreational cannabis. Primarily, making it illegal to sell them to anyone under 21.

An article from CBS Chicago says:

Products covered under the law include Delta-8, Delta-9, THC-P and HHC products that are currently unregulated and sold outside of Illinois' legalized adult-use cannabis market.

Some of the new requirements that come with this law include child-resistant packaging and restrictions on marketing that could be attractive or misleading to kids. Basically, packaging that imitates popular candy and snack foods will be illegal in Illinois.

As a parent, do you feel better knowing Illinois is doing more to keep products like these out of the hands of children and teens? Or do you think it's just a waste of time?