Florida has moved to ban it
A war is starting across America, and on either side legislators, business owners, and citizens are sharpening their arguments— about a product that has not even hit the market. The Federal government has yet to approve the product for sale. However, Colorado is already moving to ban it and Florida followed suit on Wednesday, Jan. 28 with the introduction of State Bill 536. At the center of the dispute is Palcohol, a punny name for a serious subject: powdered alcohol. Proponents think that the substance could be regulated as easily as liquid alcohol using the same regulations that are already in place and therefore that it will be no easier to illegally obtain than liquid alcohol. They assert that it would lower shipping costs, creating a better profit margin for offshore restaurants (a Hawaiian hotel is quite interested in particular, as well as airlines). Opponents think that it will be difficult to regulate considering that the current alcohol regulations still leave room for abuse; that kids will get their hands on it readily; that it can be smuggled into venues more easily; that it will be easy to put into unwilling victims’ drinks; and that it can be snorted. Proponents laugh off many of the concerns by the public. The product’s website, palcohol.com, asserts, “People only seem to be focusing on the perceived and misinformed negative aspects of the product when there are so many positive applications as we state below. It is a disservice to the citizens and businesses of the state to prohibit this revolutionary new product to be used in a responsible and productive manner.” The website goes on to outline its applications, both in its ingestible form and industrial form. The ingestible form will be applicable to outdoor activities, travel and hospitality settings. In outdoor activities, the website explains, “Palcohol is a boon to outdoors enthusiasts such as campers, hikers and others who wanted to enjoy adult beverages responsibly without having the undue burden of carrying heavy bottles of liquid.” In travel, the benefits are much the same. The website reads, “Similarly, adult travelers journeying to destinations far from home could conveniently and lawfully carry their favorite cocktail in powder format. Moderate quantities of flavored Palcohol products carried in resealable pouches are a fraction of the weight and bulk associated with traditional liquor packaging.” Hospitality applications include use by airlines, cruises and offshore hospitality venues, where shipping costs cut into profit and drive up prices of adult beverages. The industrial formula is more versatile, but until the federal government approves its use, these applications seem little more than far-fetched dreams. The website lists medical, industrial and energy applications. Medical applications center around sterilization; manufacturing applications remain vague; and energy applications center around a concept of powdered fuel. The benefit to all of these applications is that it is lighter and easier to transport than liquid alcohol. That quality is what has many concerned: wouldn’t it be easier to conceal or sneak into a venue? Wouldn’t it be easier for a minor to get ahold of? The designers of Palcohol say, “no.” Though the substance is light, the packaging is made deliberately bulky— it is packaged in a four inch by six inch pouch. Nonetheless, the substance lends itself to abuse. The directions state that it should be mixed with five ounces of water, but consumers will do what they please once they have the product. The same is true with liquid alcohol, cigarettes and anything labeled “adult assembly required.” Citizens are also concerned that minors will not take the product as seriously as traditional alcohol: Palcohol comes in powdered, flavored form like many products that are aimed at children, such as powdered Kool-Aid, lemon-aid, and sports drinks. Florida’s bill seeks to outright ban the substance. Colorado’s bill has a clause that states that the ban is only effective until suitable regulations are developed and implemented. Only time will tell what the state and federal governments will decide.