Colorado moves to ban powdered alcohol

Following a storm of debate over powdered alcohol brand Palcohol, Colorado has become the latest US state to consider banning the product ahead of its launch.

Colorado lawmakers are to propose a bill to ban powdered alcohol product Palcohol

Palcohol, a powdered substance that when mixed with of water or other liquids creates an alcoholic beverage, has been greeted with a controversial reaction since it was unveiled earlier this year.

The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) claimed that approval of the product had been issued “in error” in April this year and creators were told to alter its labelling due to a discrepancy over fill level.

However brand owners stressed that this did not mean Palcohol had not received approval, as it was only its labels with were questioned, adding that the product is safe to use.

Following in the footsteps of Minnesota, Ohio and New York, Colorado lawmakers are now proposing legislation to ban the sale of Palcohol in the state over concerns it will increase underage drinking.

The product has already been banned outright in Alaska, Delaware, South Carolina, Vermont and Louisiana. Republican Representative JoAnn Windholz is now sponsoring a bill to ban powdered alcohol in Colorado.

“I think being proactive and jumping out in front of the problem is probably the right thing to do,” Chris Johnson, executive director of the County Sheriffs of Colorado, told the Guardian.

“It really doesn’t have any place in our society, powdered alcohol. We have enough problems with the liquid kind.”

It is thought that Palcohol will be available in stores across the US from spring 2015.