Last month, reports of a new powdered form of alcohol debuted in the nation, but not even a month passed before one U.S. senator decided to propose prohibitive regulations that might quash the new product, all for the sake of the children.
Palcohol is a dehydrated product to which consumers add water to create alcoholic drinks. After some confusion, last month the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided not to approve Palcohol for sale to the public just yet.
Despite reports that it had already given its approval, the agency soon claimed that its first actions were “accidental” and the product was not approved for sale.
Claiming that the powdered alcohol could become “the Kool-Aid of teenage binge drinking,” U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) demanded that the FDA “step in” and begin to investigate the product.
“It’s absurd. It’s scary,” Schumer told the media. “I’m calling on the Food and Drug Administration to immediately step in, investigate Palcohol based on its obvious health risks and prohibit this ludicrous product from going to market.”
Schumer went on to conspiratorially claim that the powdered alcohol would be used to poison people. “What’s to stop a bad individual from sprinkling powdered alcohol into someone’s lunch or dinner when they’re not looking? This can be really dangerous.”
Of course, the company that wants to market Palcohol felt that Schumer was going off the rails. It posted a message on its website, saying:
It is unfortunate that Sen. Schumer allowed himself to get caught up in the hysteria about powdered alcohol by making uninformed statements. … Palcohol has many positive uses and shouldn’t be banned. Rather it should be approved, taxed and regulated just like liquid alcohol.
Schumer isn’t alone, however. When the product first emerged in the news, some media outlets claimed that people would abuse Palcohol by sniffing the dry powder to get an immediate high.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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