Overview
- The motion to overturn the mayor’s veto failed 26–20, eight votes short of the 34 required.
- Four alders who previously supported the ban — Michele Harris, Jason Ervin, Scott Waguespack, and Nicholas Sposato — voted to sustain the veto.
- The shelved ordinance would have barred sales to people under 21 immediately and prohibited most intoxicating hemp products starting April 1, with exemptions for beverages, additives, topical creams, and pet items.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson called the measure premature and urged alignment with forthcoming federal guidance, arguing a broad ban would harm small, often Black- and brown-owned retailers.
- Federal policy remains unsettled, with hemp capped at 0.3% THC under current law, a national ban previously slated for November, and a new proposal that could delay federal action until 2028.