Blackout in a can is getting blacklisted.
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control sent letters to 17,000 retail licensees asking them to use caution when selling alcoholic energy drinks.
The letter warns that the combination of alcohol and caffeine can be dangerous and that the fruity drinks are appealing to underage drinkers. The letter states that the ABC’s Underage Buyer Program, which sends minors undercover to try to buy booze, will be targeting these beverages in particular.
The ABC also issued a news release stating its concern about the safety of such drinks, excerpted below:
According to a 2008 study published by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, people who mixed alcohol and energy drinks had a reduced ability to gauge their level of intoxication and were at a greater risk for driving under the influence of alcohol, becoming the victim of a sexual assault and a variety of other dangers. Also, people who mixed alcohol and energy drinks drank significantly more alcohol during a typical drinking session.
“Alcoholic energy drinks are popular with underage drinkers – a population who is at an increased risk for drunken driving crashes and other alcohol-related dangers,” [ABC Chairman Neal ] Insley said. “We’ve had numerous incidents in Virginia involving alcoholic energy drinks, including at least one fatality. We expect retailers to act in a legal, responsible and safe manner to help avoid additional tragedies.”
The ABC joins a chorus of others across the country banning or speaking out against the products. The Food and Drug Administration has threatened to seize drinks that combine caffeine and alcohol, according to the Associated Press.
Popular brands include Joose and Four Loko. The drinks are sold in individual cans, usually twice the size of a typical 12-ounce beer, and they often contain more than twice the alcohol. The beverage is amped up with caffeine and other stimulants.
In response to growing pressure, the makers of Four Loko announced that they would remove caffeine and two other additives from the beverage but criticized the crackdown.
From the release:
“We have repeatedly contended – and still believe, as do many people throughout the country – that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe. If it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or Irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced.”
Blackout in a can is getting blacklisted.
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control sent letters to 17,000 retail licensees asking them to use caution when selling alcoholic energy drinks.
The letter warns that the combination of alcohol and caffeine can be dangerous and that the fruity drinks are appealing to underage drinkers. The letter states that the ABC’s Underage Buyer Program, which sends minors undercover to try to buy booze, will be targeting these beverages in particular.
The ABC also issued a news release stating its concern about the safety of such drinks, excerpted below:
According to a 2008 study published by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, people who mixed alcohol and energy drinks had a reduced ability to gauge their level of intoxication and were at a greater risk for driving under the influence of alcohol, becoming the victim of a sexual assault and a variety of other dangers. Also, people who mixed alcohol and energy drinks drank significantly more alcohol during a typical drinking session.
“Alcoholic energy drinks are popular with underage drinkers – a population who is at an increased risk for drunken driving crashes and other alcohol-related dangers,” [ABC Chairman Neal ] Insley said. “We’ve had numerous incidents in Virginia involving alcoholic energy drinks, including at least one fatality. We expect retailers to act in a legal, responsible and safe manner to help avoid additional tragedies.”
The ABC joins a chorus of others across the country banning or speaking out against the products. The Food and Drug Administration has threatened to seize drinks that combine caffeine and alcohol, according to the Associated Press.
Popular brands include Joose and Four Loko. The drinks are sold in individual cans, usually twice the size of a typical 12-ounce beer, and they often contain more than twice the alcohol. The beverage is amped up with caffeine and other stimulants.
In response to growing pressure, the makers of Four Loko announced that they would remove caffeine and two other additives from the beverage but criticized the crackdown.
From the release:
“We have repeatedly contended – and still believe, as do many people throughout the country – that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe. If it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or Irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced.”