MillerCoors LLC has taken a pause in its planned campaign to launch Sparks Red caffeine-infused alcoholic drink after attorney generals from 25 states requested the company cease and desist its production of the product.
According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is just one of the 25 voices representing a concern that such a beverage will reduce the sense of intoxication in users, potentially leading to dangerous over-indulgences and creating hazardous situations.
In a statement, MillerCoors pointed out that, although the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has approved all formulas and labeling for Sparks Red, the company is “placing the brewing and distribution of the product on hold” pending discussions with the states attorneys general.
“This decision keeps this dangerous product off our shelves and out of the hands of young consumers whose health would have been placed at risk,” New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.


Sparks Red was to be an extension of MillerCoors’ existing caffeine-laced alcoholic beverages line. With 8 percent alcohol, Sparks Red would pack more of a punch than Sparks’ original version or Sparks Plus, which contain 6 percent and 7 percent alcohol, respectively.
