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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Four Loko Banned In Washington

Callie Schweitzer |
November 10, 2010 | 2:30 p.m. PST

Editor-in-Chief

(Creative Commons)
(Creative Commons)
Following Michigan and Oklahoma's lead, Washington has become the next state to ban the sale of caffeinated alcoholic beverage Four Loko.

The state's Liquor Control Board voted Wednesday to prohibit vendors from stocking and selling the drink.

The unanimous vote comes just one month after nine underage students at Central Washington University were hospitalized for reportedly becoming "dangerously ill" from drinking "large amounts" of Four Loko at an off-campus party.

The emergency ban, effective Nov. 17, will last 120 days while the board goes through the formal procedure for a permanent ban.

The caffeinated alcoholic beverage commonly referred to as a "blackout in a can" is making waves on college campuses where students are "getting Loko" and loving it.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board discouraged vendors last week from selling the beverage until the FDA had ruled on its safety. The Chicago City Council and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer are also reportedly looking into a ban.

More than 20 students have been hospitalized for Four Loko-related incidents at Ramapo College in New Jersey. The school has since banned the drink.

Other schools including Harvard University, Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania and the University of Rhode Island are warning students of the dangers of the beverage or prohibiting it on campus.

One 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko is said to contain the equivalent of four or five beers and the caffeine in two cups of coffee.

In its ruling, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission said the drinks "present a threat to the public health and safety" and that "the safety of ingesting a mixture of stimulants and beer, e.g. Alcohol Energy Drinks, has not been established."

Liquor vendors were given 30 days to remove the products from their shelves.

The drink's manufacturer, Phusion Projects Inc., appears to be standing by the product as the Food and Drug Administration reviews its safety.

The drink's 12 percent alcohol content, combined with caffeine and other ingredients, has experts and medical officials worried.

From ABC News:

"The problem is when you put all these things together, it's a nightmare," Harris Stratyner, vice president of the Caron Center and an addiction specialist, told "Good Morning America." "The caffeine may make you feel like you're not getting drunk as quickly so you may ingest more."

Stratyner said he saw no reason for caffeine to be added, "other than to give kids an added boost and to get them to purchase more."

"Quite frankly, I think adults that are legal shouldn't drink it either," he said.

 

To reach editor-in-chief Callie Schweitzer, click here. 

To follow her on Twitter: @cschweitz

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