After 23 students were hospitalized for alcohol intoxication at the beginning of the Fall semester, Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey banned all alcoholic energy drinks on campus.
While all brands of alcoholic energy drinks are banned, one brand in particular, Four Loko, was called out by name.
The drink, which comes in 23.5 oz cans, in flavors like Fruit Punch, Blue Raspberry, and Cranberry Lemonade, is cheap (about $2.50 each) and has an alcohol content of 12%.
Consuming a whole can of Four Loko apparently produces the same effect as drinking three beers, a can of Red Bull, and a shot of espresso.
Ramapo College is not the first school to ban alcoholic energy drinks. And this is not the first time mixing energy drinks with alcohol has caused concern.
In February 2010, ConsumerAffairs.com reported on a 2008 study done by the University of Florida about the negative effects of mixing alcohol and energy drinks.
In a study of college-aged adults exiting bars, patrons who consumed energy drinks mixed with alcohol had three times the risk of leaving a bar highly intoxicated and were four times more likely to intend to drive after drinking than bar patrons who drank alcohol only.
Which is terrifying when the average breath-alcohol concentration reading for those who mixed alcohol and energy drinks was 0.109, well above the legal driving limit of 0.08.
Study co-author Bruce Goldberger, a professor and director of toxicology in the UF College of Medicine said, "There's a very common misconception that if you drink caffeine with an alcoholic beverage the stimulant effect of the caffeine counteracts the depressant effect of the alcohol and that is not true. We know that caffeine aggravates the degree of intoxication, which can lead to risky behaviors."
In August 2007, ConsumerAffairs.com reported on concern over how alcoholic energy drinks are marketed.
Attorneys general from 28 states appealed to the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to
crack down on misleading marketing of alcoholic energy drinks, complaining
that the ads suggest they are healthy and are aimed at teenagers and young
adults, many of whom are below the legal drinking age.
"Non-alcoholic energy drinks are very popular with today's youth," said Oregon
Attorney General Hardy Myers. "Beverage companies are unconscionably appealing
to young drinkers with claims about the stimulating properties of alcoholic
energy drinks. We urge TTB to take action to stop companies from making
misleading claims."
While Four Loko is only sold in liquor stores, one wonders who the manufacturers will hope buys it. The cans are brightly colored; the flavors are fruity and sugary.
Unsurprisingly, it's not just college kids falling victim to the drink. High school students in Mahwah, NJ have been caught with cans of Four Loko, too.
