Four Loko Banned in Maryland: Maryland is the Latest State Taking The Drink Off Its Shelves

By Alex L.

The popular 12 percent alcohol, energy drink, Four Loko, also known as ‘blackout’ in a can, has been banned in several states. Washington (State), Michigan, Utah, Oklahoma, New York, Arkansas, and Indiana have all permanently taken the caffeinated malt-liquor off its shelves.

Before October 2010, Four Lokos sat quietly on the shelves of many liquors stores across the country, but after nine college students who consumed the sugary alcoholic drink were rushed to the hospital after a party at Central Washington University, Washington became the first state to ban the beverage.

Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a letter to four beverage makers including Four Loko, calling the caffeine in the beverage an “unsafe food additive.” The deadly combination of alcohol and caffeine in the drink has been linked to cases involving blackouts, alcohol poisoning, and even death.

On Nov. 16, the makers of Four Loko, Phusion Projects, announced that it would remove caffeine, guarana and taurine, from the popular drink and that they are trying to work with the FDA so that the drink won’t be banned from all shelves.

“Over the last several months we have been more than willing to talk with regulators and policymakers on the national, state, and local levels. Our company has a history of being as cooperative as we possibly can to ensure that our products are consumed safely, responsibly and only by of-age adults,” said Phusion’s three co founders and managing partners, Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright and Jaisen Freeman.

According to the Baltimore Sun, on Nov. 17, Maryland’s Comptroller Peter Franchot, convinced two of Maryland’s largest alcohol trade groups to stop selling the highly caffeinated alcoholic beverage.

“For the sake of all Marylanders, we need to get this products off the shelves as soon as possible,” said Franchot.

His efforts couldn’t come at a better time.

With the Nov. 7 death of 21 year-old Maryland native, Courtney Spurry who crashed her vehicle into a tree after drinking two cans of Four Loko’s, Maryland became the most recent state to ban the intoxicating party drink.

In an interview with WJZ, Maryland’s attorney general, Doug Gansler, mentioned that the incident with Spurry could happen to anyone if Four Loko stays on the market.

“Attorney’s generals are working collectively to ban these products from the market. We’re also working with the federal government, the FDA, to get them to ban it nationally,” Gansler said.

While the FDA is looking into banning heavily caffeinated alcoholic beverages like Four Loko and others, the drink hasn’t been effectively banned all 50 states yet.

Even with Phusion Projects removing caffeine from Four Loko, it still doesn’t make up for the people who have been hospitalized and lost their lives due to this easily accessible intoxicating ‘blackout’ in a can, but it is a step in the right direction.