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Committee hears bill to let restaurants deliver liquor and an amendment to classify alcohol‑based 'tinctures'
Summary
Senate Bill 524 would let on‑premise licensees deliver liquor with food and create safeguards; the committee also weighed an amendment to classify alcohol‑based herbal 'tinctures' as non‑beverage products and to create a study commission for tincture regulation.
Chairman Hunt opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 524 and heard Grant Bosi, deputy chief of staff to the New Hampshire Senate, introduce the bill on behalf of Sen. Tim McHugh. Bosi said the measure would let on‑premise liquor licensees deliver alcohol with a meal, with a set of accountability safeguards: containers must be properly labeled, deliveries must be made by employees age 21 or older, and a receipt must document the chain of custody. "This is a balanced bill. It supports small business, maintains accountability, and protects the public," Bosi told the committee.
Supporters said the change would give restaurants a tool to compete with out‑of‑state delivery platforms while preserving responsible‑service rules. The Senate adopted an amendment to create a commission to study a regulatory framework for emerging tincture products containing alcohol, and the liquor commission proposed related cleanup language as part of a larger package of changes.
Deputy Chief Danielle Ellson of New Hampshire Liquor Enforcement told the panel the amendment bundle also implements clarifications from last year’s SB80, which moved enforcement of vape and e‑cigarette products to the liquor commission. Ellson said the amendments codify practices implemented through emergency rules — including reporting and destruction procedures for illicit vape products — and reinstate penalties for persons under 21 in possession of tobacco products that had been inadvertently removed in prior legislation. She described the cost of destroying seized counterfeit vape product as material, noting one recent destruction cost roughly $10,000 because of hazardous lithium batteries.
Industry witnesses generally supported distinguishing tinctures from alcoholic beverages. Graham Rigby of the American Herbal Products Association said alcohol‑based herbal tinctures are "not fit for beverage purposes" and urged the committee to enshrine that distinction to avoid regulatory confusion and protect consumer access.
The committee did not take final action on SB 524; members said they would return to the amendments in a subsequent meeting after further drafting and stakeholder review.
