Palcohol raises ‘chilling’ concerns in California

California lawmakers have proposed two bills to ban powdered alcohol in the state to protect consumers from a “chilling litany of health and safety concerns”.

California lawmakers have put forward two bills to ban powdered alcohol product, Palcohol

The two pieces of legislation – bills AB 1554 (Irwin) and SB 819 (Huff) – have come about despite Palcohol’s approval by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in the US last year.

“Powdered alcohol is designed for and marketed to those who want to drink illegally,” said Assembly member Jacqui Irwin, who introduced the powdered alcohol ban in the Assembly (AB 1554).

“Powdered alcohol can be easily concealed, which will make it nearly impossible to control who is drinking and where.

“We must act now to prevent the public health and safety risks that powdered alcohol will create.”

The news comes as Alcohol Justice announced the launch of the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA).

“Every year California loses nearly 10,000 lives and over US$22 billion to alcohol-related harm,” commented Richard Zaldivar, spokesman for CAPA and Alcohol Justice.

“Powdered alcohol products would add significantly to the danger, especially to young people.

“Our new statewide alliance, CAPA, is committed to passing these two bills to stop powdered alcohol.”

So far, a total of 25 states have banned powdered alcohol, with two implementing a temporary one-year statutory ban and three regulating the product under their existing alcohol statutes.

“Alcohol is already abused by underage kids and drinking responsibly is a challenge for many adults,” said senator Bob Huff. “Adding powdered alcohol to this potent mix is akin to squirting gasoline on a wildfire.

“This is a problem California does not need.”

Palcohol founder Mark Phillips has vehemently defended his product against what he called “misinformed” decisions by US legislators to ban the product in numerous states.