NJ liquor stores must stop selling THC drinks Nov. 13

Sure, I like to have a few drinks during the week. Usually it’s wine with dinner. Maybe it’s a couple of beers while watching a game.

On a Friday night, I like a vodka martini to kick off the weekend.

Lately I've been trying something different: a THC seltzer. Mine is Mosey, a 10 mg can that says it's made with real fruit juice and has 45 calories. For me, it's a light, pleasant buzz. It doesn't feel as strong as that martini, and it's not stronger than a beer.

Would I drive after one? Absolutely not. But home on a Friday night? Why not.

Here's the catch. In about six weeks, you won't be able to buy one at a New Jersey liquor store.

The New Jersey deadline

Under the hemp law Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) signed in March, liquor stores can't sell intoxicating hemp beverages starting Nov. 14, according to the state Division of Taxation. After that, only state-licensed cannabis dispensaries can sell drinks with more than 0.4 mg of THC per container.

Gas stations and bodegas already lost them in April. Liquor stores got a grace period, with a cap of 5 mg per serving and 10 mg per can.

Then the federal hammer

Washington has its own ban coming. A spending law Congress passed last fall redefines hemp so that almost every THC drink on the shelf becomes illegal nationwide. It was set to start Nov. 12, but President Donald Trump signed a one-month delay on Sept. 3, Forbes reported. Unless Congress acts, the new date is Dec. 11.

THC-infused drinks on display. | Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for CLD PR

So who wanted this?

Not the liquor stores. The Garden State Liquor Retailers Association told New Jersey Monitor these drinks are crucial revenue for family-owned stores dealing with falling alcohol sales. Nationally, alcohol wholesalers and a coalition that includes Total Wine & More are pushing Congress to regulate THC drinks like alcohol rather than ban them.

The push came from elsewhere. Lawmakers framed it as protecting kids. Police chiefs worried about impaired driving with no roadside THC test. The licensed cannabis industry argued against high-potency liquor store drinks. And after Nov. 13, dispensaries get the business all to themselves.

Those are real concerns. Nobody wants kids getting into these, and nobody should drive after one.

But hard liquor is still fine?

Here's where it loses me. Walk into any New Jersey liquor store and you'll find overproof rum, cask-strength whiskey and fifths of vodka. All legal, all on the shelf, all sold to anyone 21 and up with an ID.

Same store, same ID check, same age limit. But a 10 mg seltzer that hits me softer than one martini has to go?

If the worry is impairment, the liquor aisle has a lot more of it. While lawmakers are at it, why not bring back Prohibition? Let's see how that goes over with voters.

Delaware went the other way

I bought my Mosey at Total Wine, across the bridge in Delaware. Gov. Matt Meyer (D) signed a law this summer letting liquor stores and dispensaries keep selling THC drinks under state rules, at least until a federal ban kicks in.

If you've got a favorite, enjoy it at home, and don't drive. You've got until Nov. 13.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 show host Eric Johnson only.

LOOK: Food and drink items that are highly restricted or banned in the U.S.

Stacker explores snacks and other food items banned in the U.S. From tasty cheeses to the famed Scottish dish haggis, these 30 foods aren't welcome in most of the United States.

Gallery Credit: Stacker