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Ohio Ban on Alcohol Energy Drinks

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Started 1 year ago by Walker
Latest reply from Snarf

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Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Press Release:
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE DIVISION OF LIQUOR CONTROL CALLS FOR BAN ON ALCOHOL ENERGY DRINKS

The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Liquor Control (Division) announced today that, at the DivisionÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s request, the manufacturer of the alcohol energy drink Ã¢â‚¬Å“Four LokoÃ¢â‚¬Â and the supplier of alcohol energy drink Ã¢â‚¬Å“JooseÃ¢â‚¬Â have agreed to stop the distribution of their products in Ohio. With no legal authority at this time to ban alcohol energy drinks, the Division reached out to Phusion Projects, United Brands Company, and all other manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers requesting that they cease any marketing, promotion, manufacture, and sale of all alcohol energy drinks in Ohio.

Alcohol energy drinks such as Four Loko and Joose are beverage alcohol products that also contain caffeine, taurine, guarana, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, or other chemical or herbal stimulants. These products sometimes contain as much as 12 percent alcohol in one 23.5 ounce can, which is equivalent to consuming five or six beers and a cup of coffee in the same serving. Alcohol energy drinks are often flavored in a way that masks the taste of alcohol, and they are inexpensive.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“In recent months, the Division has become aware of serious health concerns associated with the use of alcohol energy drinks, and believes that those products pose a significant threat to the safety and health of Ohio consumers,Ã¢â‚¬Â said Director Kimberly Zurz.

The Division has put the beverage alcohol industry on notice that failure to cooperate with the DivisionÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s request to ban the distribution and sale of alcohol energy drinks in Ohio may lead to the pursuit of appropriate changes in Ohio law. Ohio is among a group of several states that have recently banned alcohol energy drinks or requested that these products be removed from store shelves due to health concerns.

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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I wonder how well this will be enforced?

Four Loko is some seriously foul shit as is it's obvious marketing towards youth.

I wonder about Sparks still.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Snarf wrote >>
I wonder how well this will be enforced?

It sounds like the companies are cooperating and pulling it from the shelves. I don't think there will be much of a need for enforcement if no one can buy it, right?

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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Well I imagine there will be a demand for it still and store owners will find a way to get it.

Posted 1 year ago #
fclaugus
Northwest Columbus
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There is a similar story at bloomberg:

Caffinated Alcoholic Drinks Are Unsafe, FDA Says
By Molly Peterson - Nov 17, 2010 1:11 PM ET

Caffeine is an Ã¢â‚¬Å“unsafe food additiveÃ¢â‚¬Â to malt alcohol beverages, U.S. regulators told four makers of alcoholic energy drinks after a yearlong investigation in the wake of reports of injuries to consumers of the drinks.

The federal government may seize the products if companies donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t remove the caffeine from them, the Food and Drug Administration said today in a statement. The agency said it sent warning letters to Charge Beverages Corp., New Century Brewing Co., United Brands Co., and Phusion Projects LLC, the closely held maker of Four Loko drinks.

Washington, Michigan, Utah and Oklahoma and some colleges banned caffeinated alcoholic beverages after reports of young people being sick or injured after consuming them, Senator Charles Schumer of New York said yesterday in a statement. Phusion Projects, based in Chicago, announced late yesterday that it would remove the caffeine from Four Loko drinks.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“FDA views this announcement as a positive step,Ã¢â‚¬Â the agency said in its statement. Ã¢â‚¬Å“FDA has not yet heard officially from the company about this announcement, including how quickly it will remove the present product from circulation and how quickly it will reformulate its product. FDA intends to work with Phusion Projects, LLC, and the other manufacturers to assure their products meet safety standards.Ã¢â‚¬Â

To contact the reporter on this story: Molly Peterson in Washington at mpeterson9@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net.

Posted 1 year ago #
fclaugus
Northwest Columbus
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One thing I was wondering if this would be followed up by a ban on drinks mixed at a bar that contain both caffeine and alcohol such as a vodka red bull.

Posted 1 year ago #
Paul
Vancouver, BC
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fclaugus wrote >>
One thing I was wondering if this would be followed up by a ban on drinks mixed at a bar that contain both caffeine and alcohol such as a vodka red bull.

Drinks mixed at the bar are served one at a time (typically) and only to people 21 or over.

4 Loco has something like the equivalent of 4 beers and 2 cups of coffee in one can and is clearly marketed at the underage binge drinking college crowd.

So to your question, I would think no.

Posted 1 year ago #
fclaugus
Northwest Columbus
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Paul wrote >>

fclaugus wrote >>
One thing I was wondering if this would be followed up by a ban on drinks mixed at a bar that contain both caffeine and alcohol such as a vodka red bull.

Drinks mixed at the bar are served one at a time (typically) and only to people 21 or over.
4 Loco has something like the equivalent of 4 beers and 2 cups of coffee in one can and is clearly marketed at the underage binge drinking college crowd.
So to your question, I would think no.

I tend to agree, it would be hard to enforce anyway.

Posted 1 year ago #
Paul
Vancouver, BC
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Yes. It would be the old, "We can sell you a shot of vodka in a glass. And we can sell you a can of Redbull. But we have to sell them 'separately' and you have to mix them yourself."

Posted 1 year ago #
SJT

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What's funny, well weird I guess- is that I remember college campuses banning either Red Bull or one of its equivalents when those drinks first came out in the 90's bc kids were getting alcohol poisoning from drinking too much instead of falling asleep (passing out) when they needed to. Seems like there may have been a death even- but I can't remember for sure... The difference being though that much different regulation goes with energy drinks bc it is not alcohol. So it is just the FDA I guess...??

Posted 1 year ago #
MFRONE
Lakewood
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Guess I've missed it but I've never seen Four Loko advertised anywhere.

Sparks will still be around because I believe they removed the caffeine from their product a year or two ago.

Posted 1 year ago #
GCrites80s
5xNW
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Snarf wrote >>
I wonder about Sparks still.

Miller removed the energy-drink ingredients from Sparks in 2008 on a national basis after Congress asked them to.

Posted 1 year ago #
NikosFyodor
Victorian Village
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Paul wrote >>

fclaugus wrote >>
One thing I was wondering if this would be followed up by a ban on drinks mixed at a bar that contain both caffeine and alcohol such as a vodka red bull.

Drinks mixed at the bar are served one at a time (typically) and only to people 21 or over.
4 Loco has something like the equivalent of 4 beers and 2 cups of coffee in one can and is clearly marketed at the underage binge drinking college crowd.
So to your question, I would think no.

Technically, at a bar or not you're supposed to be 21 to drink.

Those things usually taste like NyQuil mixed with lighter fluid combined with the overpowering scent of car freshener concentrate.

On the plus side you can usually get away with drinking them while you walk down the street, because they look almost exactly like any other foul tasting energy drink that doesn't contain alcohol (just chemicals that eventually make you piss blood). Even if you are stopped by a cop you can feign ignorance.

Posted 1 year ago #
blammo
in the shadow of the wonder of bread
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Bah, what a crock of shit. I just stocked up on my 2 favorite FourLOKO flavors. Sheesh, i can't believe that some college kids drank a bunch of booze and got sick! And some had to be hospitalized! INCONCEIVABLE

Now they'll finally be safe when they only have tequila, whiskey, wine, gin, rum, vodka, and beer to drink.

Posted 1 year ago #
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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Where is JennyW? She knows something about this ...

Posted 1 year ago #
JimL2

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I would be opposed to this if there wasn't already strong restrictions on what kind of alcohol you can sell and where you can sell it. As it is, I think this is totally within their right to do, and I'm surprised the hammer didn't fall sooner. (MillerCoors pulling the caffeine from Sparks should have been a big warning sign to all brewers.)

...I'm definitely biased, though, because I've had nothing but bad experiences with FourLoko.

Posted 1 year ago #
JimL2

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Also! While in college, the only serious advice I ever received about drinking from an RA was "never mix uppers with downers. It tears your psyche apart."

I'm steadfastly stopping myself from filling this thread with metaphors about personal responsibility vs. the responsibility of a vendor selling to a person; has anyone else had Tropical Punch FourLoko? I think that's the worst one.

Posted 1 year ago #
0Angle
A brewery or my kitchen or my bicycle.
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What about coffee beers?

Posted 1 year ago #
Bear
The woods
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JimL2 wrote >>
I'm steadfastly stopping myself from filling this thread with metaphors about personal responsibility vs. the responsibility of a vendor selling to a person

Oh, c'mon, you know you want to do it. Hell, if the thing were sold with a toy it'd be a personal responsibility trifecta.

Posted 1 year ago #
JimL2

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Well I do now, but that's just because I've been drinking rum and coke all night.

And 0Angle, I don't know what coffee beer is but it sounds horrible. You don't mean heavy stouts, right? You mean something where a robot somewhere has poured sweetened coffee flavor into beer, like that terrifying chocovine stuff?

I think brewers should let the flavor of their stout speak for itself. If I want coffee, I'll drink coffee. When I want alcohol, I'll drink alcohol. I've never in my life been so busy that I needed to combine the two, but if I were, I'd use a dash of Baily's.

I mean, I know America has an average mental age of 14, but do we all need to have the palates of children as well?

Posted 1 year ago #