Senate bill aims to stop the expansion of grocery stores selling hard liquor in Colorado

By David Migoya | The Gazette

The number of grocery stores selling hard booze under a quirky license initially designed for pharmacies would stop at about two dozen under a bill that advocates say is meant to save independent liquor stores.

Senate Bill 25-33 would put an end to any new licenses for pharmacies to sell spirits such as whiskey — known as Liquor License Drug Stores (LLDS) — and leave at about 25 the number of stores such as King Soopers and Costco that already do.

The bill is sponsored by senators Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Dylan Roberts, D-Steamboat Springs, who unsuccessfully backed a similar, though more comprehensive, bill last year.

READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE