× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday passed a measure that could lead to the sale of strong, cold beer and wine in grocery and convenience stores.

Senate Joint Resolution 68 passed by a vote of 28-16 and heads to the House for consideration. It takes 25 votes for a bill to pass the Senate.

The measure would let voters decide whether to modernize the state’s alcohol laws by amending the state constitution. A companion measure, Senate Bill 383, would make statutory changes needed to modernize state laws on beer and wine sales.

“The reality is, Oklahomans want to see change,” said Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Edmond, who worked on the measure with Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond.

Residents of the state are tired of living under the current system, Bice said.

“Senate Joint Resolution 68 gives voters the ability to vote on what they have been clamoring for for years — the right to purchase the products they want, to purchase wine and single-strength beer in grocery and convenience stores,” Jolley said.

He said the measure would give craft beer makers greater access to the market, allowing them a better chance to thrive as a small industry in the state.