Ohio passes bill to ban powdered alcohol

Ohio is the latest US state to pass a bill that would ban the sale of powdered alcohol product, Palcohol, claiming it is a “public health risk too great to ignore”.

The state of Ohio has passed a bill that could see the sale of powdered alcohol product, Palcohol, banned in the state

The Ohio House of Representatives approved a measure that would ban the sale of powdered crystalline alcohol in the state over fears the substance would be “too easy to abuse”, Fox News reports.

Palcohol, a white powder that when mixed with water can create an alcoholic beverage, is set to release six flavours, including Vodka, Cosmopolitan and Mojito.

In April this year, The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) claimed that it had approved the new product “in error”, and creators were told to alter its labeling due to a discrepancy on fill level.

The brand stressed that this did not mean Palcohol had not received approval, as it was only its labels with were questioned.

However, lawmakers across a number of have questioned the safety of the product, with the New York senate passing a bill to ban the product, along with Alaska, South Carolina and Vermonth.

“The public health risk of powdered alcohol is too great for our state to ignore,” Said Ohio representative Jim Buchy, who along with Ron Gerberry sponsored the bill.

“We have to do our part in putting forth reasonable laws that protect our children and prevent the availability of drug forms that have a higher potential for abuse.”

The bill will go to the Ohio senate for further consideration.