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Tuesday, March 17th, 2015

Powdered Alcohol Is Now Legal — But Is It Safe?

Author:     Rachael Rettner
Source:     Livescience
Publication Date:     March 16, 2015 07:04am ET
Link: Powdered Alcohol Is Now Legal — But Is It Safe?
Stephan:   I confess that until today, I had never heard of powered alcohol,, suspect it will be a huge hit, and have no doubt it will be abused. It continues to amaze me that we, as a society, don't get that the way to control abuse is to stop it before it happens through awareness, healthy diet, strong social support, while at the same time recognizing that there are a certain number of people who will abuse. And making them evil, and only having social programs that punish them or treat them shabbily doesn't help, is more expensive, and does not resolve the problem. The data on all this is absolutely clear.
Credit: Huffington Post

Credit: Huffington Post

A powdered form of alcohol called Palcohol is now approved for sale in the United States, but how safe is this product?

Some health experts say they are concerned that powered alcohol could be abused by minors, or could be more easily more easily hidden and consumed in places where people are not allowed to have alcohol. But others argue that there is no reason the drug would be more hazardous than liquid alcohol.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved Palcohol, a powdered alcohol that people can drink by mixing the product with water, according to the company.

So far, the company has approval to sell four flavors: vodka, rum, cosmopolitan and Powderita (a margarita flavor), according to the Associated Press. When a packet of Palcohol is mixed with 6 ounces (177 milliliters) of water, the resulting drink has the same alcohol content as a standard mixed drink, the company says.

Palcohol’s maker expects to begin selling the product this summer. [The Drug Talk: 7 […]

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