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A report by doctors at New York’s Bellevue Hospital describes how 11 young people—10 of them under the legal drinking age of 21—were rushed to the emergency room after drinking the “alcopop” Four Loko. Some of the patients ended up in potentially deadly situations, according to NY1. One patient fell onto the subway tracks, another was unconscious at school, and a third was found alone in a park…. (Source: Join Together, 08/3/11)

The maker of the popular Tilt malt beverage is lowering the drink’s alcohol content from 12 percent to 8 percent for a 24-ounce container. Anheuser-Busch announced that the new drinks will be sold starting this summer.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Sparks flavored malt beverages made by MillerCoors also have a maximum of 8 percent alcohol by volume. The article notes that the changes to Tilt come as malt beverages such as Four Loko are being criticized for encouraging underage and binge drinking. … (Source: Join Together, 5/25/11)

The popular, formerly caffeinated, fruity alcoholic beverage, Four Loko, has been blamed for the spike in alcohol-related hospitalizations, especially throughout college campuses.
Initially, caffeine was deemed the culprit and the Food and Drug Administration ordered all traces of caffeine to be removed from Four Loko and all other similar beverages. However, according to an upcoming evaluation in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, caffeine might not be the primary cause of the spike in hospitalizations. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/23/11) psychologicalscience.org, 5/23/11

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (APRIL 21, 2011) – Alcohol industry watchdog Marin Institute applauded 17 state attorneys general and San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera for their quick action to stop the latest supersized alcopop – Blast by Colt 45.
„State law-enforcers heard the national outcry,“ said Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director of Marin Institute. “Supersized alcopop Blast is too big, too potent and marketed to youth.”
The sickly sweet, 12% alcohol fruity-flavored beverage is sold in 23.5 oz. cans, which the attorneys general deemed “impossible to drink responsibly.” Marin Institute had mounted a petition campaign before the product’s official release on April 5, targeting the Metropoulos family – new owners of Colt 45 parent Pabst Brewing Company. Activists drew public attention to the dangerous brew and its exploitative viral marketing to young fans of hip-hop/rap star Snoop Dogg, the spokesperson and public face of the new product.
Minister Paul Scott, of Durham, NC-based Messianic Afrikan Ministry said, “We must stop these corporations from using the beautiful art of Hip Hop to destroy young minds. Music should instead be used to strengthen them.” … (Source: Marin Institute, 4/25/11)

Another lawsuit has been filed against Phusion Projects, LLC, maker of Four Loko alcoholic beverages, Crain’s reported March 9.
The new lawsuit, which is aiming for class-action status, was filed March 4 in the Southern District Court of California. It claims that Four Loko misled its customers about the potency of its caffeinated alcoholic beverages by using fruit flavors, colorful packaging, and clever shelf placement in stores to suggest they were similar to non-alcoholic beverages. Source: Join Together, 03/18/11)

The debate surrounding the effects of caffeinated alcoholic beverages on the human body still continues, although it has been three months since the Food and Drug Administration ordered the drinks—including the well-known Four Loko—pulled from the shelves.
In a lecture yesterday at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston University Professor of Community Health Sciences Jonathan Howland questioned caffeine’s supposed ability to counteract the sedating effects of alcohol.
“Ultimately caffeine does not reduce the impairment effect of alcohol,” Howland said. … (Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/26/11) uwire.com, 02/25/11

The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has banned the sale in Alabama of canned beer-like drinks that combine caffeine and alcohol. This includes the drink Four Loko, which is popular on some college campuses.
An attorney for the ABC Board, Bob Martin, said Wednesday the ABC Board banned the drinks after they had been declared dangerous by the federal Food and Drug Administration. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/23/11) blog.al.com, 02/23/11

Unfit for human consumption, banned cans of high-octane Four Loko are being recycled into ethanol — and used in gasoline, Scott Hensely reported Jan. 7 in NPR’s Health Blog.
You know the story: after numerous reports of hospitalizations and other related harms, national regulators sent warning letters to four companies that produced caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs) warning them caffeine was an unsafe and unapproved additive. (While some states are struggling to actually get the drink off the shelves, some of the companies‘ reformulated products, including Four Loko, have reappeared on store shelves with just as much alcohol and sugary sweet, but without the caffeine.) … (Source: Join Together, 01/21/11)

There have been more suspensions on campus this semester than all of last year. In addition, almost all alcohol-related incidents had the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko involved.
Associate Dean of Students Michael Ginsburg said the University has had more interim suspensions this fall with a total of 14 students suspended than all of last year where only 12 students were suspended. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 12/13/10) bgnews.com, 12/12/10

Three federal agencies — including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — recently acted in concert to halt the sale and distribution of caffeinated alcoholic drinks such as Four Loko and Joose. Agency officials made their decisions based on research into the effects of combining caffeine and alcohol, and several recent incidents linked to the beverages where individuals (mostly young people) have been hospitalized or killed.
In response, David L. Rosenbloom, who directs Join Together, published an editorial in The New York Times arguing that caffeine isn’t the only problem with sweetened high-alcohol drinks. Rosenbloom pointed out three looming concerns: … (Source: Join Together, 11/30/10)