[
As of November 10, 2010, caffeinated alcoholic energy drinks had been banned in ]Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
and Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
in the United States. The bans followed a widely publicized incident which resulted in hospitalization in the Fall of 2010 of college students who had consumed several cans of Four Loko caffeinated alcoholic beverage. Utah, which has state controlled liquor retail outlets, after studying them, never permitted the sale of caffeinated alcoholic energy drinks. The products will no longer be delivered to Oklahoma after December 3, 2010, and delivery to retailers has been suspended in New York.
On November 17, 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
warned four companies, Charge Beverages Corp., New Century Brewing Co., Phusion Projects, and United Brands Company Inc, that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an "unsafe food additive" and said that further action, including seizure of their products, may occur under federal law. In a press release, the FDA states "there is evidence that the combinations of caffeine and alcohol in these products pose a public health concern." They also state that concerns have been raised that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication. Warning letters were issued to each of the four companies requiring them to provide to the FDA in writing within 15 days of the specific steps the firms will be taking.
Manufacturers have argued that drinking a caffeinated alcoholic energy drink is indistinguishable from drinking a couple of glasses of wine followed by a couple of cups of coffee.
Adverse effects
Caffeine has not been shown to have an effect on a person's self-assessment of their level of alcohol intoxication.
Food and Drug Administration
In November 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
notified nearly 30 manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages that it would study the safety and legality of their products.
In November 2010, the agency told the manufacturers of seven such beverages, including Four Loko, that their drinks are a "public health concern" and can not stay on the market in their current form. A member of the FDA said that the agency did not support the claim that the addition of caffeine to these alcoholic beverages is GRAS ("generally recognized as safe"), a regulatory standard.[
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Removing caffeine
The decision to remove caffeine from the beverage came from a review by the FDA, which gave the companies a window to either remove the caffeine and other stimulants in the drinks or face possible penalties under federal law.[ Experts have said the caffeine used in the beverages can mask the effects of alcohol, leaving drinkers unaware of how intoxicated they are. One of the companies that received letters of warning was Phusion Projects in Chicago which makes Four Loko. Phusion Projects announced in November 2010 that it was dropping caffeine and two other ingredients, ]guarana
Guaraná ( from the Portuguese ''guaraná'' ), ''Paullinia cupana'', syns. ''P. crysan, P. sorbilis'') is a climbing plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guaraná has large leaves and cl ...
and taurine
Taurine (), or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is an organic compound that is widely distributed in animal tissues. It is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine, and accounts for up to 0.1% of total human body weight. I ...
, from Four Loko because of a politically angered environment.[
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Buying binge
In the last quarter of 2010, around Washington D.C.
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
there were record sales on the beverage Four Loko. Multiple liquor stores in the D.C. area near American and Georgetown universities claimed that there was an increase in sales of caffeinated alcoholic beverages before they were moved from the shelves. Grocery stores near the George Washington University campus also reported a large sales increase.[
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See also
*Alcohol laws of New Jersey
The state laws governing alcoholic drinks in New Jersey are among the most complex in the United States, with many peculiarities not found in other states' laws. They provide for 29 distinct liquor licenses granted to manufacturers, wholesale ...
- the state does not limit the purchase of caffeinated alcoholic beverages
References
{{Alcohol and health
Caffeine
Alcohol abuse
Drinking culture
Alcohol in the United States
Drugs in the United States
Energy drinks
2009 in the United States
2010 in the United States