U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is asking the Food and Drug Administration to prevent a powdered alcohol from reaching store shelves this fall, saying that it would become “the Kook-Aid of teen binge drinking.”
The New York Democrat in a letter says the product Palcohol can be mixed with water, sprinkled on food or even snorted and easily concealed.
Palcohol’s parent company Lipsmark disagrees, saying it would be painful to snort and will be sold under the same restrictions as liquid alcohol.
He says the FDA should intervene because of health risks, like it did with caffeinated, fruit-flavored alcoholic beverages that appealed to young people.
The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau gave Palcohol label approvals April 8, though they were later withdrawn.
The company plans to resubmit them.
(AP)