ALBANY, N.Y. -- Whether or not to allow grocery stores to sell wine in New York is an issue that comes up nearly every legislative session.

"I think the revenue that will come off of it will be significant," Business Council of New York Executive Vice President Paul Zuber said.

Last year, a commission to reform the state's alcoholic beverage reform laws approved 18 different recommendations to the state Legislature. Wine in grocery stores was not one of them but Zuber, who was on the commission, said that just means lawmakers should take a closer look.

"This is an issue which was very close. You could argue that there should have been representation from the retail sector in this commission and the poll numbers show that the public wants wine in grocery stores," he said.

Liquor stores are among the primary opponents. They argue changing the law would not only lead to the closure of their locally-owned small business, especially ones near supermarkets, but would also mean less variety of products for consumers and negative impacts for state wineries, distributors and sales reps who will find difficulty getting products on the shelves.

"We're always going to keep on battling and we'll keep on battling the big box big grab that they're trying to do in New York state and we'll keep fighting," Stefan Kalogridis, New York Liquor Store Association president, said. "Is it on our table every year? Yes."

Former New York state Office of Addiction Services and Supports General Counsel Rob Kent, who served the same position for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, also believes now is the wrong time. He pointed out, while opioids often dominate the conversation, alcohol continues to be the reason for the most admissions for substance abuse treatment.

"The easier we make it to accessing alcohol the more likely we are to have a lot of bad outcomes for too many people," Kent said.

Zuber recognizes there are legitimate concerns but believes lawmakers should be able to find solutions that work for everybody.

"If 40 other states can do it then we should be able to have an open honest dialogue to try to make it work for everybody," he said.

He said this administration appears more committed to reform than others in the past and the priority this year is at least passing the recommendations the commission did approve.