Four Loko faces possible bans

Four Loko, a popular alcoholic energy drink, is being considered for a national ban after nine students at Central Washington University were hospitalized.

The students were thought to have been given the date-rape drug, Rohypnol, but were found to have drunk too much alcohol through the use of Four Loko.

“They’re marketed to kids by using fruit flavors that mask the taste of alcohol, and they have such high levels of stimulants that people have no idea how inebriated they really are,” Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna stated in a news release. “They’re packaged just like non-alcoholic drinks, but include a dangerous dose of malt liquor.”

McKenna began the push to revitalize a request in September 2009 for the ban of the drinks. The push for the ban was sparked by a recent outbreak of hospitalizations and health issues connected to the drinks in his state. In a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, he cited several examples where Four Loko had harmed consumers.

According to the letter, a 19-year-old woman from Auburn, Wash., called the police and told them she was “very drunk” and losing feeling in her hands. She said she was given the drinks at a party and didn’t realize they contained alcohol.

“These drinks are marketed to the youth culture, who are not even legally allowed to drink them,” McKenna spokesman Dan Sytman said in an interview last week. “The drink is often sold next to other similar-looking, non-alcoholic drinks such as Arizona Iced Tea.”

The inspiration for the alcoholic energy drink came from the popular mix of Red Bull and vodka. Sytman said the problem with Four Loko compared to this deadly mix is that the drinker has control over how much alcohol they put into the drink.

“They can visibly see how much alcohol they are drinking and can limit themselves accordingly,” Sytman said. “Younger drinkers are very concerned with cost effectiveness, meaning they want a cheap way to get drunk. (Four Loko) sells for about $2.50 per can and contains about five or six beers. If you were to get a Red Bull and vodka mix, that would run you at least $5 at a bar and much more if you were to make it yourself.”

McKenna said the biggest problem with Four Loko is alcohol and caffeine tend to counteract one another. Alcohol makes the user tired and drowsy after large quantities are ingested, whereas caffeine, after ingesting large quantities, keeps the user awake. This counteraction allows the user to stay awake and drink more, because the effects aren’t present to stop them.

The proposed ban doesn’t only concern Four Loko. The ban, if enacted, would restrict the sales of all alcohol containing caffeine. This could pose a potential problem for sellers of the drinks nationwide.

“There is no tighter-knit shopping community than that of a convenience store,” said Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores. “We want to do whatever will make our community happy because we want to be a part of the community.”

Lenard said the ban of alcoholic energy drinks wouldn’t hurt their stores’ sales much.

“Alcoholic energy drinks are such a small portion of convenience store sales that I don’t think a ban would be much of a problem for us,” Lenard said. “There are so many other normal energy drinks out there that it won’t matter.”