Hemp beverage brewers fear Illinois hemp ban will end fledgling industry

Jake Buishas tests THC levels from a Juniper Terps seltzer production line on May 22, 2024, at Marz Community Brewing Co. in Chicago. Just after popping the lid off a new market, hemp beverage makers fear a proposal to ban intoxicating hemp products in Illinois would end their new business.

Hemp beverages have been a lifeline in the past year or so for craft brewers, who’ve seen beer sales fall since the COVID-19 pandemic. Other brewers like Hopewell Brewing in Logan Square, Noon Whistle Brewing in Lombard and Naperville, and Engrained Brewing in Springfield also make hemp drinks. Juniper Terps seltzer, a THC-infused beverage, is canned on May 22, 2024, at Marz Community Brewing Co. in Chicago.

While marijuana remains illegal under federal law, federal lawmakers legalized hemp in 2018, defining it as cannabis or cannabinoids with less than .3% delta-9 THC. But processors have figured out how to derive intoxicating cannabinoids, such as delta-8 and delta-9 THC, from hemp, creating the current controversy.

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