# Kentucky SB 202: AN ACT relating to regulated beverages and declaring an emergency. Kentucky SB 202, AN ACT relating to regulated beverages and declaring an emergency., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Julie Raque Adams (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-03-25 (signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 82)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB202-2025RS - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kentucky SB 202 - State: Kentucky - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT relating to regulated beverages and declaring an emergency. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-18 - Last action: 2025-03-25, signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 82) - Sponsor: Julie Raque Adams (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Technical Corrections, Administrative Regulations and Proceedings - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (128 yes, 36 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 16 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Cannabidiol sellers cannot make disease claims: benefit, low. Labels and advertising for ingestible or cosmetic cannabidiol products cannot claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. The ban covers products sold or distributed in Kentucky. It applies to businesses making, processing, distributing, or selling those products. - More local options for restaurant alcohol sales: benefit, low. Eligible local governments can authorize alcoholic drinks at qualifying restaurants and dining facilities seating at least 50 people. Eligibility covers cities or counties with the specified restaurant-sales election before January 1, 2016, or cities with qualifying limited-sale precincts created b… - Annual license fees for cannabis businesses: cost, medium. A cannabis-infused beverage retail package license costs $500 each year. A primary cannabis-beverage distributor license costs $520 each year. A supplemental distributor license costs $100 each year. - Cannabis retailers face package-only sales rules: cost, medium. Retailers can sell cannabis drinks only in areas allowing those sales, by the package, for use off-site. They need both a quota retail package license and a cannabis-infused beverage retail package license. They must buy the drinks from licensed cannabis-beverage distributors, and the law bars two… - Stricter screening for cannabis business licenses: cost, medium. Cannabis-beverage applicants must disclose relevant convictions and license revocations and promise to follow state and local beverage laws. A qualifying alcohol- or cannabis-related misdemeanor or license revocation for cause within the prior two years blocks eligibility. Related restrictions appl… - Local fees extend to cannabis sales: cost, medium. Eligible cities and counties can charge regulatory license fees on gross receipts from cannabis-drink sales, up to 5%. These fees must support qualifying local policing, regulation, or administration costs, with separate accounting, audits, and reporting. Direct shippers must remit applicable local… - Unpaid cannabis taxes put licenses at risk: cost, medium. Overdue Kentucky taxes tied to cannabis-drink distribution or sales can lead to referral for possible license revocation. Protest and appeal rights must have expired, and tax officials must have contacted the taxpayer about the debt. The taxpayer must receive at least 20 days' notice by certified m… - State licensing and records for cannabis businesses: cost, low. Distribution, retail sales, and transport require the proper license, with exceptions for authorized representatives and qualifying direct-shipper helpers. Licensees must use legally authorized buyers and sellers and keep transaction records available under state rules. The health cabinet licenses… - Direct cannabis shipping with fees and limits: mixed, medium. Approved manufacturers can obtain a $100 annual direct-shipper license, with Public Health licensing and current manufacturing or supply authority in their home state. They must meet product, registration, recordkeeping, reporting, inspection, and audit requirements; qualifying third parties can fu… - License penalties with payment alternatives for businesses: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, qualifying cannabis-beverage, tax, and local-rule violations can lead to license suspension or revocation. Specified convictions, including illegal sales and two violations within two consecutive years, also support revocation. Renewing a license does not erase earlier viola… - New distribution options with business restrictions: mixed, medium. Approved manufacturers can distribute their own cannabis drinks, and qualified businesses can obtain a distributor license. Distributors can hold a primary license or add a supplemental license to an existing distributor or wholesaler license. They can buy from approved manufacturers and licensed d… - Adult cannabis deliveries require age checks: mixed, low. Authorized transporters can deliver cannabis drinks to adults 21 or older in Kentucky areas allowing those sales. The transporter, sender, and recipient must have legal authority for their part of the shipment. Packages need an adult-signature warning, and carriers must check government identificat… - Age and strength limits for cannabis drinks: mixed, low. People under 21 cannot buy or drink cannabis-infused beverages. Retailers cannot provide them to minors or people whose apparent intoxication threatens safety or unreasonably bothers others. Retailers retain the existing defense based on fraudulent identification in prosecutions for sales to minors… - Businesses gain regulated inventory transfer options: mixed, low. Licensees can move cannabis drinks between their licensed locations in the same county without a transporter license. Cross-county moves require prior written approval for good cause, and transaction records must remain available to state agencies. Inventory-disposal rules also cover closures, bank… - Temporary cannabis sales exceptions reach deadlines: mixed, low. Wholesalers, distributors, and retailers holding affected stock on the law's effective date received a temporary sales exception ending June 1, 2025. It covered drinks above the new cannabinoid limits and intoxicating cannabinoid drinks of any strength sold by the drink. A separate exception allowe… - Business inspections expand with seizure appeal rights: mixed, low. State officials can inspect businesses selling, storing, or handling cannabis drinks without first getting a search warrant and can confiscate contraband. Any amount found at a business is presumed to be there for sale unless that presumption is rebutted. After a seizure, the department must notify… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Julie Raque Adams (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-13 | Senate | passed | pass | 22 | 13 | 1 | | 2025-03-12 | House | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 77 | 17 | | | 2025-03-07 | Senate | passed | pass | 29 | 6 | | ## Actions (39) - 2025-03-25: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 82) - 2025-03-13: delivered to Governor - 2025-03-13: enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House (Senate) - 2025-03-13: enrolled, signed by President of the Senate (Senate) - 2025-03-13: passed 22-13-1 with Committee Substitute (1) (Senate) - 2025-03-13: Senate concurred in House Committee Substitute (1) (Senate) - 2025-03-13: posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2025-03-12: to Rules (S) (Senate) - 2025-03-12: received in Senate (Senate) - 2025-03-12: 3rd reading, passed 77-17 with Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2025-03-12: floor amendments (1), (2) and (3) filed to Committee Substitute (House) - 2025-03-12: placed in the Orders of the Day (House) - 2025-03-12: taken from Rules (House) - 2025-03-12: reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2025-03-11: returned to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) (House) - 2025-03-11: 2nd reading (House) - 2025-03-11: taken from Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) (House) - 2025-03-07: to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) (House) - 2025-03-07: returned to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2025-03-07: 1st reading (House) - 2025-03-07: taken from Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2025-03-07: to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2025-03-07: received in House (House) - 2025-03-07: passed 29-6 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (2) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2025-03-07: Floor Amendment (1) withdrawn (Senate) - 2025-03-07: 3rd reading (Senate) - 2025-03-06: floor amendment (2) filed to Committee Substitute (Senate) - 2025-03-06: floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute (Senate) - 2025-03-06: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 07, 2025 (Senate) - 2025-03-06: reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2025-03-04: returned to Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2025-03-04: 2nd reading (Senate) - 2025-03-04: taken from Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2025-02-28: returned to Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2025-02-28: 1st reading (Senate) - 2025-02-28: taken from Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2025-02-20: to Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2025-02-18: to Committee on Committees (S) (Senate) - 2025-02-18: introduced in Senate (Senate) ## Bill text - Current, 2025-03-13: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/sb202/bill.pdf) - Introduced, 2025-02-14: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/sb202/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related bills - HB 501: AN ACT relating to pharmaceutical drugs. (became law) - HB 664: AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle and declaring an emergency. (signed) - HB 606: AN ACT relating to economic development. (signed) - HB 421: AN ACT relating to colorectal cancer screenings. (signed) - HB 555: AN ACT relating to local government financial practices. (signed) - HB 493: AN ACT relating to the towing and storage of motor vehicles. (signed) ## Sources - [Current (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/sb202/bill.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/sb202/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related - [HB 501: AN ACT relating to pharmaceutical drugs.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB501-2025RS) - [HB 664: AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle and declaring an emergency.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB664-2025RS) - [HB 606: AN ACT relating to economic development.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB606-2025RS) - [HB 421: AN ACT relating to colorectal cancer screenings.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB421-2025RS) - [HB 555: AN ACT relating to local government financial practices.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB555-2025RS) - [HB 493: AN ACT relating to the towing and storage of motor vehicles.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB493-2025RS) - [Kentucky bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky/bills) - [Kentucky state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB202-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).