State lawmakers in Maryland, Indiana and possibly other states are gearing up to ban a recently approved type of alcohol in powered form expected to hit shelves this year.
"It's got bad written all over it," Indiana State Sen. Ron Alting said of Palcohol, powdered alcohol that comes in a pouch and promises a savory cocktail just by adding water, WLFI reported. He's already drafted legislation to get the product banned in Indiana.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau gave the OK to Palcohol. But lawmakers and experts are concerned teenagers will have easy access to the powdered booze.
"We want it banned. We don't want Palcohol in Maryland, and legislators need to take this up immediately," Mike Gimbel, a substance abuse consultant lobbying to ban Palcohol in the state, told WBAL-TV.
The concern is minors will indiscriminately add the powder to any beverage and disguise it in water bottles brought to school or other places where alcohol is forbidden.
"They can put so much of it in," Gimbel told the station. "It's a powder, and they can drink a lot. When you drink too much and you bypass the part of the brain that makes you sick, it goes to the stem of the brain, which causes alcohol poisoning, and that's when you die."
Palcohol creator Mark Phillips slammed critics by pointing out his product will be available only in places with a liquor license. Customers will have to show proof they are over the age of 21 before purchasing.
"All of the hysteria about the dangers of Palcohol are unfounded," Phillips explained in a YouTube video. "Anyone who makes those claims is either ignorant or just being untruthful to promote their agenda."
Palcohol is expected to debut in stores sometime this summer. But some liquor store owners don't seem fazed by the controversy.
"I don't think it has a lot of scope because probably the quality is not there," liquor store owner Ravindra Pradhan told WBAL-TV.
