A ban may be placed on powdered alcohol in Wisconsin, a new product that is awaiting federal approval.
In June, Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, said he would immediately propose a ban on the substance should it become available. In a statement, Carpenter said he believed the potential for abuse of the product is “simply unacceptable.”
Carpenter said that powdered alcohol is just another attempt to irresponsibly market alcohol to young people, similar to “alcohol-laced” energy drinks.
“It took several tragic deaths before the sale of alcohol-laced energy drinks were pulled off the market,” Carpenter said. “I don’t think we need to wait for a similar tragedy.”
Alcohol powder produces an alcoholic drink when mixed with water. The powder can also be snorted or sprinkled on food and creates the same effect of a full cocktail. Similar products are already being sold in Germany and the Netherlands.
In the United States, Lipsmark LLC is the current owner of Palcohol, which is the powdered alcohol product currently being considered at the federal level.
The company is still waiting for approval from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to market the product. Initially, the product was federally approved in April, but that decision was quickly rescinded. According to their website, Palcohol is expected to be available by spring 2015.
If the substance is approved, it will be produced in two forms: a digestible beverage formulation and an industrial formulation, which would not be digestible. The company says on its site that Palcohol has many benefits, including commercial, medical, manufacturing and food applications.
Palcohol would be available in six flavors: vodka, rum and four cocktail variations. One package weighs about an ounce, which would then be added to five ounces of liquid to create a standard mixed drink.
However, the first step in getting Palcohol in the shelves is approval by the federal government, which is not guaranteed.
“The FDA did not approve it, to my understanding,” Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said. “And I’m not sure it will be approved.”
According to Taylor, there is skepticism in the Wisconsin Legislature about the necessity of Palcohol given the wide-range of problems it could potentially cause.
“I don’t see a need for powdered alcohol. I think it’s something that can be abused quite easily,” Taylor said. “It could be put into drinks and other things that we don’t want it to be put in, and that would be my concern.”
If legislation regarding powdered alcohol is introduced in Wisconsin, Taylor said that her first reaction would be to ban the substance.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said that the health risks of powdered alcohol are largely unknown.
In April, Minnesota Rep. Joe Atkins, D-Dakota County, introduced legislation that would ban powdered alcohol in Minnesota should the product be approved by the federal government.
No moves have been made to ban powdered alcohol in Wisconsin at this time. A spokesperson for Rep. Sandy Pasch, D-Whitefish Bay, said that no bills about powdered alcohol will be introduced in the Legislature until January, when the 2015 session begins.
