As excerpted from The Baltimore Sun:

A retail business group is renewing efforts to repeal a ban on selling beer and wine in Maryland grocery stores.

In a campaign launched Thursday, the Maryland Consumer Freedom Coalition argued that momentum is growing to legalize such sales, with Maryland one of only four states where grocery stores are prohibited from selling any alcohol.

The proposal has been opposed by groups such as the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association. And small-business owners who have invested in their communities have worried they’ll be put out of business, unable to compete with large-quantity discounts at big-box and convenience stores.

Legislation proposed earlier this year in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates never received initial committee votes.

The Freedom Coalition, backed by the Maryland Retailers Alliance, says most voters support a change in the law. A statewide Maryland Now poll found support from 80% of respondents, the group said.

“It’s past time that we pass this bill that has strong support from constituents across the political spectrum,” Del. Marlon Amprey, a lead sponsor of House legislation, said in a statement Thursday.

Sen. Antonio Hayes, lead sponsor in the state Senate, called the current law outdated.

“We should be promoting policies that drive investment in our communities and have the potential to attract more high-quality grocery stores to communities that need fresh, healthy food access,” Hayes said in a statement.

Maryland Retailers Alliance has called for overturning the ban, a position that Gov. Wes Moore supported in December 2024 as consumer-friendly.

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