New Powdered Alcohol Product Draws Attention of Federal and State Legislators

Last week, FDA has been asked by New York Senator Charles Schumer to ban a new powdered alcohol product named Palcohol.

In 2012, Mark Philips developed the product motivated by "a love of hiking but a distaste for carrying bottles of adult beverages uphill." Already, the product has attracted attention of federal and state legislators. It has been notified that the product ready for release in stores this summer.

Up to now, six states have enacted legislation banning any form of powdered alcohol. A bill that might ban the sale and manufacture of Palcohol nationwide has been introduced by Schumer last month. But these sanctions are unfair. Particularly, worries are there about potential snorting of the product.

"It would take you an hour of pain to ingest the equivalent of one drink. It really burns", said Philips. It is essential to consider the product is going to be sold in single-use pouches capable of making a drink containing only 10% alcohol because the pouches are intended to be mixed with minimum six ounces of liquid.

If the products might be snorted efficiently, it surely will not be quicker than drinking a standard 1.5 fluid ounce shot of liquor. Consumers who are looking to get drunk rapidly already have a host of traditional, more efficient choices.

More realistic worries are that the powder is going to be too simply concealed and enable consumers to bring the powder to places where use of alcohol was not allowed. Again, Palcohol proves to be no more risky as compared to regular alcohol.