Aussie experts concerned over Palcohol
A powdered alcohol intended to be mixed up into drinks has gained approval from a federal regulator.
The product, called Palcohol, had received the greenlight from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau briefly last year before the bureau backtracked and said the label approvals had been given in error.
On Wednesday, bureau spokesman Tom Hogue told The Associated Press the issues were resolved and that four varieties of Palcohol were approved. But Hogue noted that states in the United States can also regulate alcohol sales in their borders.
Geoff Munro from the Australian Drug Foundation is reportedly against Palcohol.
"When we heard about it last year we were concerned about the product and we wouldn't want to see it available in Australia," Munro told Newscorp.
"A product like powdered alcohol is an anti-social product, it would be easier to disguise and use unsupervised and we know that young people are attracted to novelty of new things," he continued.
Concerns regarding the controversial product have included abuse by minors, the potential to snort the powder and whether Palcohol's lightweight would make it easy to sneak alcohol into public events or spike drinks.
Palcohol would come in a pouch, with water being added to the powder inside for the equivalent of an alcoholic drink.
The four products that have been approved include powdered versions of a cosmopolitan, a margarita, vodka and rum. Palcohol's founder Mark Phillips said that he expects another Palcohol product — Lemon Drop — to be "approved shortly".
"What a crazy few weeks this has been since the public discovered Palcohol," Phillips told Newscorp.
"Since Palcohol was discovered, we've mostly heard about the negative uses of it. Those are unfounded. It is unfortunate that most of the media coverage has been negative," said Phillips.
Previously, Phillips had said he came up with the idea for Palcohol because he wanted a way to enjoy alcoholic drinks after hiking or other activities without having to lug around heavy bottles.
Hogue said the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regularly reaches out to the Food and Drug Administration to get determinations on whether a product might be considered "adulterated". If the FDA says the product isn't adulterated, he said the bureau's evaluation centers on whether labels accurately reflect what's in the product.
"Potential for abuse isn't grounds for us to deny a label," Hogue said.
News break – March 12
