New York officials say enforcement against unlicensed THC beverages could be a legislative priority next year, after a bill to legalize low-dose THC drinks in liquor stores failed to pass this session.
NORTHEAST, September 18, 2026: Officials in Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration said unlicensed hemp-derived THC beverages sold at New York bodegas and delis could become an enforcement and legislative target, while confirming that a bill to let licensed liquor stores sell low-dose THC drinks failed to pass this legislative session.
Chelsea Davis, the governor's deputy secretary for gaming, cannabis and alcohol, told the New York Post that the black-market sale of unlicensed THC drinks and the current status quo were untenable, according to Hoodline. New York restricts cannabinoid hemp beverages sold outside licensed dispensaries to 1mg of total THC per serving and 10mg per package, with a mandatory 15:1 CBD-to-THC ratio, but bodegas and grocery stores have continued stocking drinks that may exceed those limits. State Sen. Jeremy Cooney and Assemblymember John Zaccaro introduced companion bills, S9220 and A10191, in February that would have let licensed liquor and wine stores sell THC drinks up to 5mg, but Albany did not pass the proposal this session. Davis said the issue could become a priority for the governor in next year's legislative session. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a former state senator, has also called on regulators to act.
Elsewhere in the region, Connecticut's Windsor Planning and Zoning Commission held its scheduled September 9 public hearing on a special-use taproom application from Float House, a hemp-derived THC beverage brewer, as previously reported. No vote outcome has been publicly reported yet. Other Northeast states reported no change to their hemp beverage laws this week: New Jersey's liquor- and cannabis-licensee caps remain in force ahead of a November 13 cutover to cannabis-retail-only sales, New Hampshire's 0.4mg-per-container cap remains on track for January 1, 2027, and Pennsylvania's Senate Bill 49 remains stalled without a new floor vote.
New York's unlicensed-beverage question and Connecticut's pending taproom decision are the region's clearest items to watch heading into next week. Connecticut also has an October 1 increase to its own infused-beverage THC limits, to 5mg per container at package stores and 10mg at cannabis retailers, approaching under previously enacted law.
Forma works embedded on hemp and THC beverage formulation and commercial scale-up, from compliant dosing and label claims through co-packer qualification. This wire is a byproduct of the same regulatory tracking that informs that work.
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