The Senate gave final approval to a bill that prohibits the sale of high-alcohol beer containing added caffeine or other stimulants. |
(From Sen. Amanda Ragan)
The Senate gave final approval to a bill that prohibits the sale of high-alcohol beer containing added caffeine or other stimulants. Some of these beverages can contain the alcohol level of six cans of beer, the caffeine found in two cups of coffee, and additional stimulants like taurine, ginseng and guarana.
These cheap drinks come in fruit flavors and are popular among college students and teenagers. They’ve earned the nickname “blackout in a can” because the caffeine and fruit flavors mask the effects of the alcohol. They result in thousands of hospitalizations, permanent damage to livers and hearts, and deaths, including suicides.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that these drinks are unsafe. The maker of the popular “Four Loko” brand recently announced it would no longer add caffeine to its beverages after intense pressure from the FDA and colleges across the country.
House File 617 now goes to the Governor for his signature.
