New York Bill to Allow THC Drinks in Liquor Stores Amended in Committee

New York lawmakers have amended a proposal that would allow liquor and wine stores to sell low-potency marijuana beverages, opting to send the revised measure back to committee for further review rather than advancing it toward a floor vote.

The legislation, Senate Bill 9220, would create a new permit allowing licensed off-premises alcohol retailers to sell “low potency cannabis beverages,” defined as single-use drinks containing no more than 5 milligrams of THC.

Under the proposal, these beverages would need to be produced by state-licensed marijuana businesses and could be sold only to individuals 21 and older, maintaining the state’s existing age restrictions for cannabis products.

The bill also establishes a new tax structure, including a 9% tax on distributor sales and a 13% retail tax on purchases, with revenue directed to the state’s cannabis revenue fund.

As amended, the legislation continues to carve out a narrow exception to New York’s current cannabis law, which generally limits retail marijuana sales to licensed dispensaries. It explicitly allows certain alcohol retailers to sell only these low-dose beverages, not other marijuana products like flower, concentrates or edibles.

The updated version also maintains language integrating the new category into the state’s alcohol regulatory framework, including allowing permitted stores to treat cannabis beverages as an approved product line without being considered a separate business.

Following the amendments, the Senate voted to recommit the bill to the Investigations and Government Operations Committee. That procedural move means lawmakers will take another look at the revised version before deciding whether to advance it further.

If ultimately approved, the measure would mark a notable shift in New York’s marijuana market by allowing certain cannabis products to be sold outside of licensed dispensaries, albeit in a tightly limited form focused on low-dose beverages.