Assembly BillIntroduced
A 8961: Relates to the definition of drug-related paraphernalia; clarifies that drug-related paraphernalia shall not impact substances that are not considered controlled substances.
What A 8961 does, verified June 11, 2026
The bill aims to clarify the definition of drug-related paraphernalia in the General Business Law. It adds new objects to the list of items considered drug-related paraphernalia, including: kits for planting or harvesting controlled substances, kits for manufacturing or preparing controlled substances, isomerization devices to increase potency, scales and balances for weighing controlled substances, diluents and adulterants to cut controlled substances, and objects for ingesting, inhaling, or introducing cocaine into the human body. The bill excludes hypodermic needles and other objects used for parenteral injection from the definition of drug-related paraphernalia. The new definition takes effect immediately.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to consumer affairs and protection (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 8961
- What is the current status of A 8961?
- As of June 11, 2026, A 8961 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to consumer affairs and protection".
- Did A 8961 pass?
- Not yet. A 8961 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 8961, and where is it now?
- A 8961 was authored by Asm. Phil Steck with 11 coauthors. Its committee of record is Assembly Consumer Affairs & Protection.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to consumer affairs and protection |
| Aug. 13, 2025 | referred to consumer affairs and protection |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, August 13, 2025 · 366 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8961 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY August 13, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to clarifying the definition of drug-related paraphernalia The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 850 of the general business law, 2 as amended by chapter 433 of the laws of 2021 and subparagraph (vii) of 3 paragraph (a) as separately amended by chapter 92 of the laws of 2021, 4 is amended to read as follows: 5 2. (a) "Drug-related paraphernalia" consists of the following objects 6 used for the following purposes: 7 (i) Kits, used or designed for the purpose of planting, propagating, 8 cultivating, growing or harvesting of any species of plant which is a 9 controlled substance or from which a controlled substance can be 10 derived; 11 (ii) Kits, used or designed for the purpose of manufacturing, 12 compounding, converting, producing, or preparing controlled substances; 13 (iii) Isomerization devices, used or designed for the purpose of 14 increasing the potency of any species of plant which is a controlled 15 substance; 16 (iv) Scales and balances, used or designed for the purpose of weighing 17 or measuring controlled substances; and 18 (v) Diluents and adulterants, including but not limited to quinine 19 hydrochloride, mannitol, mannite, dextrose and lactose, used or designed 20 for the purpose of cutting controlled substances[;21(vi) and22(vii) Objects, used or designed for the purpose of ingesting, inhal-23ing, or otherwise introducing cocaine into the human body]. 24 (b) "Drug-related paraphernalia" shall not include [hypodermic25needles, hypodermic syringes and other objects used for the purpose of26parenterally injecting controlled substances] materials used to inject, 27 inhale, ingest or otherwise introduce a substance into the human body. 28 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13548-01-5
Text of A 8961 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions