Pictured: Hemp plants. [Stephen Ward, Oregon State University / CC BY-SA 2.0]

After Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) leaders previously clarified the department’s proposed changes to Illinois hemp testing and licensing rules are not meant to regulate the sale of hemp-derived products, legislators briefly revisited the issue during their Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) meeting Tuesday in Chicago.  

Deputy Republican Leader Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria), who co-chairs JCAR, requested on Tuesday that state agriculture officials return to the committee within six months to reorganize the rules to make it easier for stakeholders within the industrial hemp space to understand. 

“Because it’s been difficult for stakeholders to make sense of that,” Spain said.