Sen. Chuck Schumer—a powerful Democratic lawmaker and battle-scarred veteran of the trench war against the dearly departed Four Loko—is gunning for yet another alcoholic target: This time, it’s Palcohol.
Palcohol, or powdered alcohol, can be mixed with water or any other liquid to concoct an alcoholic beverage. (And no, though the temptation to snort powdered alcohol has been acknowledged by both lawmakers and manufacturers, it does not feel good to do so and you could wake up covered in blood.) The product has faced consistent legislative and political opposition, with Schumer at the forefront.
“When alcohol is a [powder], it can be used so much more dangerously than if it was a liquid,” the senator (who has himself received a good chunk of financial backing from the booze industry) said this week. “And worst of all is that a young person can put a whole bunch of shots in one glass of water with disastrous results.” Schumer vowed to introduce an emergency amendment to ban the production, sale, and possession of Palcohol. (Click here to check out a pic of Schumer posing with Palcohol.)
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The senator has been at this for a while. Earlier this year, he introduced legislation to outlaw powdered alcohol. “After seeing the devastating effects of Four Loko, we must ban dangerous products like Palcohol before they hit store shelves and cost lives,” Schumer warned.
Lipsmark LLC, a company that makes Palcohol has hired its first Washington, DC, lobbyists, and the company is fighting back.
“We are reaching out to the Senator and other legislators to inform them how Palcohol is a revolutionary new product that provides solutions in medicine, energy, the military, manufacturing, outdoor recreation, aviation, etc.,” a Palcohol spokeswoman told The Daily Beast in a statement. “In addition, we are addressing their concerns about Palcohol’s potential misuse and abuse which there is no evidence to support.” (Potential military applications could include transport fuel, and Palcohol could be used as an antiseptic, according to Palcohol.)
Palcohol also has its fair share of political enemies at the state level. Legislators and alcohol lobbyists in Hawaii, Florida, Oregon, Michigan, Maine, Maryland, Ohio, as well as those in several other states, have moved to ban powdered alcohol before it becomes available to consumers this summer.
