Join Together News Summary for October 26, 2010

Some doctors say drinks that combine alcohol with caffeine should be banned because they''re dangerous, ABC News reported Oct. 20.

Marketed in large, colorful cans under names like Four Loko, Joose, and Torque, the drinks are popular among college students. The 23.5-ounce canned drinks can contain 12 percent alcohol and 156 milligrams of caffeine, and have encountered increasing criticism. Attorneys general in more than one state are concerned that they''re being marketed to minors, a New Jersey college banned them, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is deciding whether or not the drinks are legal.

Dr. Robert McNamara, who directs the emergency medicine department at Temple University, recently encountered his first-ever case of a healthy 19-year-old whose heart attack seemed to be linked to consuming alcoholic energy drinks.

"This is a dangerous product from what we''ve seen," McNamara said, who said other doctors had told him about similar cases. "It doesn''t have to be chronic use. I think it could happen to somebody on a first time use."

"I''m mad as hell," said Doctor Mary Claire O''Brien of Wake Forest University. "These drinks are not safe."

O''Brien, who is a professor of emergency medicine and public health, recently completed a study that showed that consuming alcohol with caffeine was more harmful than drinking alcohol alone. Those who consumed both were at least two times as likely -- compared to those drinking alcohol without caffeine -- to be hurt, need medical attention, take sexual advantage of another, or accept a ride with someone who was inebriated.

"They can''t tell that they''re drunk," O''Brien explained. "What this behavior gets is a wide awake drunk."

The FDA has said that, under regulations governing food additives, caffeine can''t be mixed with alcohol. It is currently evaluating whether the drinks should remain legal, but no deadline has been set for a decision.

"FDA intends to evaluate the information submitted by the manufacturers and other available scientific evidence as soon as possible in order to determine whether caffeine can be safely and lawfully added to alcoholic beverages," said Michael Herndon, a spokesman for the FDA.

Phusion Projects, which manufactures Four Loko, told ABC News, "No one is more upset than we are when our products are abused or used unlawfully. But Four Loko is neither the sole contributor to alcohol abuse, nor will additional restrictions on it solve the problem."

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:
Posted by LewBryson on 26 Oct 10 11:15 AM CDT
Red Bull & vodka? Irish coffee? What makes this stuff so much more dangerous? Is it because it''s cheap?
Posted by Tony Graveline on 26 Oct 10 11:39 AM CDT
The whole energy drink business has got out of hand. Here is a radical idea ban those. Anything on the shelf has the potential to be abused. Some of the overdoses related to energy drinks had liquor in them too. Energy drinks are just too dangerous considering the high potency in them and the effects any amount of alcohol can cause when mixed.

Posted by Raimee on 26 Oct 10 12:21 PM CDT
Lew, you would have to chug (not sip) about 5 Irish coffees to get the same effect as ONE of these cans. They are heavily marketed towards the underage sector and these young people are pounding 2-3 at a time. Plus they are chasing them and mixing them with additional shots of liquor. Generally you might pass out after chugging the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine, but the caffeine allows you to stay awake longer and not feel drunk so you try to drink more. These beverages are NOT to be confused with a rum and coke or an Irish coffee. They are entirely different animals. And yes, they are cheap. $2.50 for one can which is waaay cheaper than 5 beers of any brand I can think of. Very appealing to young people with limited assets.

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Synthetic cannabis is known by many names including Spice, K2, Pep Spice, Genie, Black Mamba, Triple X, Bliss, Dragon and Bombay Blue. Its chemical make-up is designed to mimic the effects of THC, the primary component of marijuana that produces the “high” and its impact varies from person to person.

The effect of synthetic cannabis on the user can be up to 15 times more powerful than marijuana because the chemical composition ranges from 0.2% to 3.0%. Adverse side effects include hallucinations, delusions, severe agitation, elevated heart/blood pressure, vomiting, tremors and seizures.

Synthetic cannabis is readily available online, through magazines and in smoke shops, liquor stores and gas stations. It is marketed as incense or potpourri and packages are labeled “not fit for human consumption.”

The synthetic drug is undetectable in the body and its appeal to students is its relatively low cost, which is comparable to marijuana. Synthetic cannabis is illegal in several states and many countries and is banned by all branches of the military. However, it is currently legal in most states and is not regulated by federal agencies.

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