Four Loko has been making headlines in local and national news including reports of alcohol poisoning, hospitalization, and in an instance in Florida, death.
Locally, State Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown (Phila.) is planning on introducing legislation to ban alcoholic energy drinks. See her press release below PLUS facts about Four Loko provided by the Council of Southeast Pennsylvania.
State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, D-Phila, said she will introduce legislation next term that would ban the sale of alcoholic energy drinks that have sickened some throughout the country, particularly college students.
"We are seeing more and more circumstantial evidence that these products, which have earned nicknames such as 'liquid cocaine' and 'blackout in a can,' are dangerous," Lowery Brown said. "Combining alcohol and caffeine leads to people who don't realize how drunk they are, and the outcome could be tragic."
Jerry W. Waters Sr., the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's regulatory affairs director, recently asked retailers to voluntarily halt the sale of alcoholic energy drinks until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can determine if they are safe.
Lowery Brown noted that Ramapo College in New Jersey banned all caffeinated alcoholic beverages from campus, and nine Central Washington University freshmen were hospitalized after consuming the drinks at an off-campus party.
"These beverages are being sought out as a quick and inexpensive means of becoming intoxicated and are being marketed as such, sadly at the expense of the consumer’s own health and welfare, Lowery Brown said. "They are very popular with young people, and they are being consumed by inner-city working folks as well as college students. It's time to take a proactive approach here in Pennsylvania before there is a tragedy."
"We are seeing more and more circumstantial evidence that these products, which have earned nicknames such as 'liquid cocaine' and 'blackout in a can,' are dangerous," Lowery Brown said. "Combining alcohol and caffeine leads to people who don't realize how drunk they are, and the outcome could be tragic."
Jerry W. Waters Sr., the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's regulatory affairs director, recently asked retailers to voluntarily halt the sale of alcoholic energy drinks until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can determine if they are safe.
Lowery Brown noted that Ramapo College in New Jersey banned all caffeinated alcoholic beverages from campus, and nine Central Washington University freshmen were hospitalized after consuming the drinks at an off-campus party.
"These beverages are being sought out as a quick and inexpensive means of becoming intoxicated and are being marketed as such, sadly at the expense of the consumer’s own health and welfare, Lowery Brown said. "They are very popular with young people, and they are being consumed by inner-city working folks as well as college students. It's time to take a proactive approach here in Pennsylvania before there is a tragedy."
FACTS ABOUT FOUR LOKO
What is it?
- Four Loko is an alcohol/energy drink produced by Phusion Projects Inc.
- Developed by three alumni of Ohio State University in 2005
- Available in eight flavors
- Sold in the US as a 23.5 oz product in aluminum can
- Contains 12% alcohol
- Also contains: caffeine, carbonation, sugar, and natural and artificial flavoring
- As well as: Taurine, Guarana and Wormwood--Wormwood is an active ingredient in absinthe
- Its name is derived from the combination of the “four main” ingredients
- There are 28 locations within a 10 mile radius of Doylestown, PA that sell this product, most are retailers that only sell alcohol.
- In some states that allow sales of alcohol in convenience stores, it is located in the same cooler as Red Bull and Monster; many clerks do not even realize it contains alcohol
The Problem:
- It looks like an energy drink, tastes like an energy drink and is viewed by youth and young adults as an energy drink with alcohol as an added “bonus”
- It is not recommended to mix stimulants (caffeine) with depressants (alcohol)
- Studies show people put themselves in high risk situations when alert and intoxicated at the same time due to not feeling “drunk”
- One can is the equivalent to the alcohol content of four bottles of beer, the caffeine levels of three 8 oz. cups of coffee, and the sugar content of one king size Kit Kat bar
- It has been termed “liquid cocaine” by the media
- There are currently 165 Facebook sites dedicated to the promotion of Four Loko
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