Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, March 13, 2015
(WASHINGTON, DC) - The maker of a powdered alcohol says his product has gained approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
The product, dubbed Palcohol, had received the greenlight briefly last year before the bureau said the label approval had been issued in error. On Wednesday, bureau spokesman Tom Hogue told The Associated Press the issues had been resolved and the product was approved. But Hogue noted that states can also regulate alcohol sales in their borders.
Many states have already moved to ban powdered alcohol, including lawmakers in Colorado who last month advanced legislation to temporarily halt its sale.
Hogue said the bureau's evaluation is centered on whether labels accurately reflect what's in the product, rather than the potential for abuse.
In a video posted to YouTube in May 2014, founder Mark Phillips says his company has been working on manufacturing, distribution and marketing since receiving approval.
Phillips said he planned to release his product last fall, but "that all changed when the TTB released our approved labels, unbeknownst to us. Our unfinished website was discovered with some edgy wording on it and everything went nuts. As questionable as that wording was, and I admit it was, I want to make clear that we never suggested using Palcohol illegally as some have reported," he said. "Because we weren't prepared with the proper message about Palcohol, people imagined how it would be used."
Those reports, Phillips said, included speculation that the product could be snorted; and also that it could be easier to smuggle alcohol into places or to spike someone's drink - or for kids to get hold of it. Phillips said all of those assertions were untrue.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.