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Popular booze to get the boot?

November 18, 2010|By Karl Man | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(SALINA,Kan.) — They pack the punch of an energy drink, with the alcohol content of several beers. Now officials say the makers of alcoholic energy drinks are on notice.

Drinks like "Four Loko" have been making recent headlines with concerns over their safety.

It’s a combination of caffeine with a malt beverage. The drink comes in a creative large can at a small price. Recently, “Four Loko” has become a popular drink amongst college students.  

"I love them, they are my drink of choice…they are cheap and I buy them a lot," says one college student Eyewitness News spoke to.

"It took off right away and is going out the doors like crazy," says Bret Birdsong of Brooks Liquors in Salina.  

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Manufactures of the drink said this week they are prepared to pull the drink off the shelves and modify the caffeine levels in the product. This comes after the FDA ruled the drink to be “unsafe”.

Liquor distributors are confident if the popular drink is banned then some other drink will surface that appeals to college students.

"They are going to find something else that will work just as well,” added Birdsong.

FDA officials say evidence shows the drink has led to alcohol poisoning... car accidents and assaults. They believe the caffeine masks the feeling of intoxication leading to risky behavior.

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