Assembly BillIntroduced
A 8979: Provides that no corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, online platform, or any other business entity doing business in this state shall knowingly sell, offer for sale, or deliver medetomidine to individuals without proof of its intended use for institutional, veterinary, or scientific purposes.
What A 8979 does, verified June 11, 2026
The proposed law aims to regulate the sale of medetomidine, a sedative used for its hypnotic and analgesic effects, in the state. The sale of medetomidine is restricted to institutional, veterinary, or scientific purposes. No business entity can sell medetomidine to individuals under the age of twenty-one or without proof of intended use. Businesses must also maintain sales records and verify the age and intended use of all purchasers. Violations of these provisions can result in civil penalties of up to three thousand dollars for the first violation and sixty-five hundred dollars for subsequent violations. All collected fines will be deposited into the New York State Drug Treatment and Public Education Fund.
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 8979
- What is the current status of A 8979?
- As of June 11, 2026, A 8979 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 8979 pass?
- Not yet. A 8979 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 8979, and where is it now?
- A 8979 was authored by Asm. Phil Steck with 12 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 · 464 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8979 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 the sale of medetomidine The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 2 392-k to read as follows: 3 § 392-k. Sale of medetomidine. 1. For purposes of this section, the 4 term "medetomidine" shall mean a sedative used for its hypnotic and 5 analgesic effects and that has been approved for use in humans and dogs. 6 2. The provisions of this section shall apply to the sale, offer for 7 sale, delivery, or distribution of all medetomidine regardless of the 8 weight. 9 3. No corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, 10 online platform, or any other business entity doing business within this 11 state shall knowingly sell, offer for sale, or deliver medetomidine to 12 individuals without proof of its intended use for institutional, veteri- 13 nary, or scientific purposes. 14 4. No corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, 15 online platform, or other business entity doing business within this 16 state shall knowingly sell, offer for sale, or deliver medetomidine to 17 individuals under the age of twenty-one. 18 5. Any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, 19 online platform, or other business entity doing business within this 20 state which knowingly sells, offers for sale, or distributes medetomi- 21 dine shall require and retain sales records, proof of age, and proof of 22 use from all purchasers. 23 6. Any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm, 24 online platform, or other business entity doing business within this 25 state that violates the provisions of this section by knowingly selling, EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13553-01-5A. 8979 2 1 offering for sale, or delivering medetomidine shall be subject to a 2 civil penalty of not more than three thousand dollars for a first 3 violation, and sixty-five hundred dollars for each subsequent violation, 4 recoverable in an action by the attorney general of the state of New 5 York. All funds collected or received by the state from civil penalties 6 imposed under this section shall be deposited in the New York state drug 7 treatment and public education fund established pursuant to section 8 ninety-nine-jj of the state finance law. 9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 10 have become a law.
Text of A 8979 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions