Four Loko banned in college campuses; Maryland schools have no official policy on "blackout in a can"
The new boogeyman at college campuses this week is Four Loko, the caffeinated alcoholic drink that's been charmingly called "blackout in a can."
Two colleges, Central Washington University and New Jersey's Ramapo College, have banned its consumption on campus following the hospitalization of some of their students.
At the Washington school, nine freshmen were hospitalized October 8 after drinking Four Loko in combination with other types of booze.
Kids these days are such light-weights.
Four Loko, if you aren't informed, packs a punch. Just one 23 1/2-ounce contains 12 percent alcohol - and "modern day ingredients like Guarana and Taurine," as the drink's website says.
Other drinks have been demonized before, as the Seattle Weekly notes. But in light of the hospitalizations, the Los Angeles Times reports college officials and law enforcement agencies are being especially watchful of the drink made by Phusion Projects LLC.
When asked for comment, representatives for Johns Hopkins, Goucher, Loyola Maryland and University of Maryland said they have no official policy on Four Loko yet, but are monitoring the situation.
"At this time, the University of Maryland does not have an official policy in place regarding the consumption of Four Loko on campus. The product is not sold at the University," said Beth Cavanaugh, spokeswoman.
"As always, we encourage students of legal drinking age to make responsible decisions regarding alcohol consumption. We are currently reminding all of our students to be mindful of what is in the alcoholic beverages that they choose to consume. In the case of Four Loko, one can is equivalent to several beers and several cups of coffee; this makes for a dangerous combination. We want to make sure that our students are aware of this and think carefully about their decisions regarding alcohol and its use especially when combined with caffeine."
Tracey Reeves, spokeswoman for Johns Hopkins: "We know of no action on our campus similar to that taken on other campuses relative to the Four Loko drink."
Courtney Jolley, spokeswoman for the Loyola University Maryland: "While we do not sell alcohol of any kind on campus or allow drinking by students who are underage, we don't have a specific policy regarding these products. That being said, we are aware of the rising concerns surrounding their risks, and are considering developing a policy specifically addressing caffeinated energy drinks when preparing next year's student life policies."
Kristen Keener, Goucher spokeswoman: "Goucher does not have a specific policy addressing the consumption of caffeinated alcohol beverages on campus. This issue would fall under the general alcohol policy - students of legal drinking age permitted to consume these and other alcoholic beverages in their rooms in the residence halls, but not in public areas. Also, no alcoholic beverages are sold on Goucher's campus"
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
four lokos are the shitttttttttttttttttt
Posted by: 4loko fan | October 29, 2010 4:20 PM
He must have passed out before he could finish the sentence...
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2010 4:43 PM
Cue resurgence of ridiculous ban attempts by state legislators on "Alcopops"
Posted by: Evan | October 29, 2010 5:24 PM
Underage drinking is also banned on campus and that doesn't seem to prevent students from drinking.
Posted by: Saver | October 30, 2010 10:56 AM
Stock tip of the day, buy Phusion Projects, Inc. Banning Four Loco will triple their sales on campuses nation wide.
Posted by: Mohawk Todd | October 31, 2010 12:54 PM
Alcospeed is hurting the youth of our nation. My organization, Think Before You Drink is doing our best to stand up for the health of consumers. Please sign our petition. www.thinkdrink.org
Posted by: Lenora Nunez | November 1, 2010 6:06 PM
Meh...this stuff is nasty. As underage kids we drank cheap crappy booze too. MD 20/20, Cisco, Boones, Olde English, etc. Most of us learned fast that if you drank a ton of cheap and crappy booze you would get sick and act like a moron. As long as alcohol is treated the way it is in our society, this will keep up. Grown adults are expected to avoid booze from age 18 until age 21 when they are magically supposed to be able to learn it all. I think the real issue is the mixed message we send about booze.
Posted by: derpydoo | November 2, 2010 8:09 PM
FourLOKO + Ice Cream = FloatLOKO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv5PqmZB8sE
Posted by: SaveRivers | November 6, 2010 4:08 AM
No one force these college students to drink. All alcoholic beverages should be banned. Alcohol can damage parts of the bodies if drank excessively. I purchase 2 cans of Four Loko. One day I had the grape favorite and two days later I try the lemonade favorite. It did not make me sick. I could feel the effect of Four Loko and it wasn't a bad effect. I wanted to see what all the hype was about this drink. Some freshmen should not be drinking because some are "underage". That say alot for the colleges.
Posted by: Maritza Stancil | November 11, 2010 9:20 AM
Some college students pop pills excessively. Are the poeple who are trying to ban Four Loko going to get pills ban too. The colleges that are spoken about in the news article sounds like hick colleges (hillbillies).
Posted by: Maritza Stancil | November 11, 2010 9:25 AM
I hear Five Loko is pretty delicious!
Posted by: Evan | November 11, 2010 3:33 PM
if college kids were smart, theyd just drink some coffee with it
Posted by: johnny | December 6, 2010 10:19 PM
The ban is idiotic. There's nothing in it that isn't safe in moderation even for kids
Posted by: Charm City Moms | December 7, 2010 1:48 PM
You advocate alcohol & caffeine 4 kids, Charm City Moms? You should be in jail.
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