New York announced Friday that it is banning the sale of powdered alcohol, even if it is not yet available in the market.
Powdered alcohol, marketed as Palcohol, was approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in March to be legally sold in the U.S.. Since then, several states, including Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, ruled to ban the product.
New York joined the growing list of the states banning powdered alcohol on Friday after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation.
"This dangerous product is a public health disaster waiting to happen," Gov. Cuomo said in a statement. "I am proud to sign this legislation that will keep powdered alcohol off the shelves and out of the wrong hands."
Lawmakers believe that powdered alcohol is dangerous because it is portable and easy to conceal, making it accessible to underage youths. There is also the danger of intoxication if incorrectly mixed or ingested. Banning powdered alcohol is New York's proactive response.
"For every substance or drug that has been abused by people in our communities, we often look back and ask ourselves if there is anything we could have done differently to prevent a wave of addiction from reaching the point of no return," said Senator Joseph Griffo, who sponsored the legislation in the Senate.
Despite the ban, the company Palcohol continues to argue that powdered alcohol is much safer than its liquid form.
"Let's get one thing clear...banning powdered alcohol is not about public safety. If it really was about public safety, then why isn't a move made to ban liquid alcohol also.....a product abused by millions of people causing the death of tens of thousands of people each year. Liquid alcohol is a bigger threat to public health than Palcohol will ever be," Palcohol wrote on its website.
"Liquid alcohol is easier to conceal, easier to spike drinks and easier to use to binge drink. It's much less expensive and allows someone to get drunk faster, both which appeal to the underage drinker."
