“They get me there fast, I be floating,” says Howard sophomore Samone Haggins. The fruity energy drinks containing 12 percent alcohol started popping up on college campuses last spring. They’re an inexpensive way to get intoxicated said junior Mahogany Jackson. “They make my body feel weightless and my mind peaceful,” Jackson said. Junior Stephanie Simon said, “They give me liquid courage.”
Haggins said she drinks Four Loko beverages because they are cheap and good. The 23.5-ounce Four Loko comes in eight different flavors and sells for fewer than three dollars. Four Loko contains a mix of caffeine, taurine, guarana, and alcohol; the use of these four ingredients is how the brand name “Four” came about.
Four Loko combines as much alcohol as a six-pack of beer and the equivalent of one cup of coffee, and is said to be the cause of several Central Washington University students getting sick. Nine were rushed to the hospital, after passing out all over the house during a party. Simon said that she sometimes gets a headache or stomachache after drinking a Four Loko.
At a recent music concert at the University of Rhode Island’s Ryan Center, medical personnel treated more than 30 people for alcohol-related illness or injury, including 11 who were taken to hospital, the Providence Journal said.
Jackson expressed concern about drinking the beverage after learning of the incident at Central Washington University. “My first question is are they 100 percent sure whether they got sick because of the lokos? Because it could be due to something else,” said Jackson. “I’m really glad that I stopped drinking Lokos now after hearing they are making people sick,” Simon said.
Four Loko manufacturer Phusion Projects defended its product in a statement pointing to seven labels on the can warning of the drink's contents, as well as, calling attention to the need for identification to purchase it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is examining the safety of combining caffeine and alcohol and, as part of this investigation, is looking into about 40 different caffeinated alcoholic products, including our products.
Senior Joshua Sloley said, “Four Loko serves no purpose in my life, or society for that matter.” They are too strong to casually drink, and they are not hard enough to be considered hard liquor, Sloley said. “You cannot drink a Four Loko like you drink beer or wine, Sloley said. “It’s a crash dummy drink, for broke people who are trying to get wasted,” said Sloley.
Some colleges and universities such as Ramapo College in New Jersey and University of Rhode Island have banned the beverage. The state of Michigan has also banned the caffeinated alcoholic beverage. Washington, Utah, and Oklahoma have also banned Four Loko and similar drinks, the Globe reported.
Phusion Projects stated their disappointment in the state's plans, saying curbing alcohol abuse will not succeed by singling out a beverage category.
Connecticut liquor wholesalers agreed yesterday to voluntarily suspend their shipment and deliveries of Four Loko and two similar beverages, Four Maxed and Joose. This weekend New York's largest beer distributors agreed to stop delivering caffeinated alcoholic beverages to retailers by Dec. 10, reported the United Press International.
Posted By: Elaina Newbill
Wednesday, December 1st 2010 at 11:20AM
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