New Jersey lawmakers have introduced companion bills that would let package stores sell low dose THC beverages, a change that lands just as a federal law is about to pull most intoxicating hemp drinks off retail shelves. For AARA members who run liquor stores, this is the clearest signal yet about what can legally sit in the cooler after this fall.

What the bills do

Senate Bill 4452, sponsored by Senator Joseph Lagana, was filed on June 15, 2026. An identical Assembly companion, A5338, was filed on June 28, 2026 by Assemblyman Michael Venezia. Together they would authorize licensed retail alcohol establishments to sell a defined category of cannabis infused drinks.

The key limits in the bills:

  • Who makes it: the beverage must be produced by a licensed Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer, meaning it comes from New Jersey’s regulated cannabis supply chain rather than the unregulated hemp market.
  • Potency: less than 10 milligrams of THC per container, unless the Cannabis Regulatory Commission sets a different limit.
  • Age check: sales restricted to customers 21 and older, with age verified at the point of sale.
  • Quantity: no more than 24 containers per customer, per transaction.
  • No vending machines: self service dispensing of the product is off the table.

S4452 is pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee. A5338 was referred to the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee. Neither has had a committee vote yet, so nothing changes at the register today.

Why the timing matters: November 13, 2026

The push is not happening in a vacuum. The full year FY2026 agriculture appropriations act, signed on November 12, 2025, rewrote the federal definition of hemp. Under the new language, a hemp derived cannabinoid product is excluded from the legal definition of hemp if it contains more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC and similarly acting cannabinoids per container. The change takes effect 365 days after enactment, which is November 13, 2026.

Practical translation: the hemp derived THC seltzers and shots that many New Jersey liquor stores added to their mix over the past two years will not survive that federal cutoff at their current potency. A 5 milligram or 10 milligram hemp drink is far above a 0.4 milligram per container cap.

New Jersey has already been managing the transition on the state side. Legislation signed in March 2026 revised the state’s hemp product restrictions and eased packaging and placement rules for intoxicating hemp beverages through the fall. S4452 and A5338 are the next step in that sequence: instead of trying to preserve a hemp product that federal law is about to define out of existence, they would move the category into the state regulated cannabis system, where liquor stores could keep selling it.

What store owners should be doing now

  • Plan your inventory around November 13, not around the bill. The federal date is law. The New Jersey bills are not. Order hemp derived THC beverages with a realistic sell through window in mind, and talk to your distributors about return or buyback terms.
  • Watch the committee calendars. A Senate Judiciary or Assembly Oversight hearing is the first real signal that this has momentum.
  • If it passes, expect compliance duties. Age verification at the point of sale, a per transaction quantity cap, and display monitoring are all in the bill text. Those are staff training items, not just shelf decisions.
  • Do not assume your current ABC license alone is enough. The final version may add conditions. Confirm before you stock.

AARA will track both bills through committee and report back when either moves. Members with questions about how the federal hemp change affects existing inventory should reach out to the association.

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