Blame it on the Palcohol

Palcohol is powdered alcohol that can be made into a drink by simply adding water or liquid. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky are calling for a ban on the product.

Palcohol received approval to market four versions of its powdered alcohol product.

Photos courtesy Palcohol

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Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky is calling for a state ban on powdered alcohol.

In what’s being described as “Kool-Aid for underage drinking,” a new powdered alcohol product that allows consumers to instantly make cosmopolitans or margaritas quickly sparked controversy last week amid concerns that minors could easily abuse it.

The product, called Palcohol, received approval from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a move that prompted harsh criticism from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, who are working to ban the product, set to hit the market this summer.

According to the company that owns Palcohol, Lipsmark, the addition of six ounces of liquid can turn the powder into rum and coke, vodka and orange juice, or other cocktails.

The product has also raised the ire of community advocates, who claim that it can be easily concealed, allowing teens and young adults who are not yet 21 to sneak alcohol into public events or parties.

Judi Vining, executive director of Long Beach AWARE (formerly the Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking), and co-chair of the New York State Environmental Prevention Task Force, said Palcohol comes on the heels of recent efforts to remove caffeine from the boozy energy drink Four Loko, a product many claimed was marketed to underage youth and associated with binge drinking.

“Now all you have to do is take powdered alcohol and put it in your Red Bull,” Vining said. “Alcohol is still the number one drug of choice for teens in New York state. This new product is extremely dangerous. It has major potential to be easily concealed, snorted, over-used, and combined with other alcohol products, including energy drinks. We must protect our citizens from the imminent danger it presents — especially to New York’s most precious natural resource, our youth.”

Many have also raised concerns about the potential for minors to snort the powder or sprinkle it onto food and drinks. Several states have already moved to ban Palcohol, and Kaminsky is calling for New York to follow suit by co-sponsoring legislation that would make it illegal.

Schumer, meanwhile, introduced legislation on March 12 to ban Palcohol before it hits stores.