By Sara Kay
According to The New York Times, Four Loko, the alcoholic energy drink, has been outlawed in four states by the Food and Drug Administration, and has bans pending in other states. Washington, Utah, Michigan, and Oklahoma have already stopped the selling of Four Loko, and New York will officially bar distribution starting December 10. Drinkers of this energy-and-alcohol-packed beverage are beginning to “stock up,” even with the recent string of deaths associated with it.
In August, an 18-year-old in Palm Beach, Fla. died after mixing Four Loko with diet pills. A month later, a 20-year-old in Tallahassee, Fla., was playing with a gun and shot himself after drinking several cans of the energy drink over several hours. A New Jersey college student was hospitalized after drinking Four Loko, and Ramapo College in New Jersey has already banned the beverage on campus. The culprit is in the makeup of Four Loko-the combination of alcohol and caffeine inhibits the brain from knowing when its drunk, resulting in the drinker continuing to drink until their Blood Alcohol Content reaches a fatal level.
With an alcohol content of 12% and a bevy of flavors like blue-raspberry and lemon-lime, teen drinkers are more than willing to down several cans of this potent elixir to get drunk fast. One can of Four Loko equals about three cans of beer and two cups of coffee. According to the Associated Press, New York state officials agree that selling caffeinated alcoholic beverages is dangerous, and this ban will be a good way to keep New Yorkers safe.
Phusion Projects, the makers of Four Loko, have decided to sell a caffeine-free version of their drink, which may be a safer alternative to the current beverage.
“We have an obligation to keep products that are potentially hazardous off the shelves, and there is simply not enough research to show that these products are safe,” said Dennis Rosen, chairman of the New York state Liquor Authority.
