The Liquor Control Board in Washington state banned the sale of alcoholic energy drinks after college students became ill from drinking the powerful beverages. The ban will take effect on November 18 and comes on the heels of the October hospitalization of nine Central Washington University students who became ill after drinking Four Loko, a caffeinated malt liquor beverage. Police reports indicated that some of the ill students mixed Four Loko with other alcoholic drinks, including vodka.
According to the Washington state Attorney General, the drinks should be banned from sale across the country. Rob McKenna said the beverages "have such high levels of stimulants that people have no idea how inebriated they really are."
Phusion Projects, the manufacturer of Four Loko, contends that the ban is a bad idea and said that its product is "just as safe as any other alcoholic beverage" when it is used responsibly.
In a written statement the company wrote, "if the true concern was to preserve the public health, safety and general welfare, this ban would also address caffeinated liquor products, which contain three to four times as much alcohol as our products. Instead, under this ban, these products will remain legal and accessible to the same subset of the population that chose not to consume our products responsibly, sold in stores where existing alcohol laws can continue to be ignored, and abused alongside the same types of alcohols and other illicit substances that contributed to the incident at Central Washington University earlier this year."
