Alcoholic energy drinks no longer legal in Kansas

November 22, 2010|By Chris Durden | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — The Kansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has rescinded the approval of all alcohol energy drinks. Suppliers and distributors of alcohol energy drinks are being notified about the change.

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration found caffeine is not safe when added to alcoholic liquor and warned manufacturers of such alcoholic energy drinks to immediately correct the situation.

The following products are no longer legal for sale or distribution in Kansas

Four Loko, all flavors
Four Maxed, all flavors
Joose, all flavors
Max, all flavors

A typical alcohol energy drink is 24 ounces and has 12 percent alcohol content. It’s almost 3 to 4 times the alcohol content of a 12 ounce beer.

Officials say liquor stores are expected to pull the product off shelves immediately. They'll have to be picked up by distributors by December 1, 2010.

Liquor Stores Respond

For every new headline about it, there was a new customer at stores like Jacob Liquor Exchange.

"A lot of people went out and bought it just for fun," said Trinh Pham, a customer at the store.

"The makers of Four Loko couldn't pay for this kind of advertisement to increase sales," agreed April Wilson-Snow, store manager.

But the demand will be short-lived. Four Loko is now off the shelves for good in Kansas.

"It has been blown out of proportion," said Wilson-Snow. "People have been mixing caffeine with alcohol for, well, since the beginning of time."

But that's exactly why the state ordered it pulled. It agreed with the FDA's warnings that it and other drinks have dangerous levels of caffeine and alcohol. The rejected cases are now stacked in the back room of the store. The irony is that in the last two weeks, the store has had to triple it's stock to keep up with demand. Now all of that has to go back.

"It will go back to the distributor and from there it will go back to their distributor," said Wilson-Snow.

The store will eventually be reimbursed by the manufacturer, but Wilson-Snow believes it will be back, with a new recipe with no caffeine and lower alcohol content. Some customers say that's probably a good thing.

"Energy drinks and alcohol don't mix together very well," said Pham.

Liquor stores say they weren't notified of the ban properly. They are still waiting for a letter in the mail that explains the decision by the state's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

LIQUOR STORES SAY THEY WEREN'T NOTIFIED OF THE BAN PROPERLY.
THEY ARE STILL WAITING FOR A LETTER IN THE MAIL THAT EXPLAINS THE DECISION BY THE STATE'S DIVISION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL.

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