Baltimore bans Four Loko to "protect youths;" selling comes with $1,000 fine
Not content to have beat the horse, and left it for dead in a dingy ditch somewhere, Baltimore's health commissioner today banned the sale of caffeinated alcoholic drinks like Four Loko within the city. The ban is effective Thursday, 5 p.m. Why the ban? The press release says it all: "Baltimore Health Department acts to protects youths." Yes, not only did the department just use a word that hasn't been uttered out loud since "My Cousin Vinny," they're also a month late to the Four Loko banning party. Maryland alcohol retailers agreed two weeks ago to stop carrying the devil swill, following four other states that had already taken similar steps months before. It's comforting to know the department moves at a quick pace when it comes to protecting our "youths."
In a move that smacks of reefer madness, the department is also telling residents to call 3-1-1 if they spot any retailers selling Four Loko past Thursday. I guess Andrew Sullivan was right.
Ban violators will be fined $1,000.
The press release from the City of Baltimore and the Health Department is here.
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
Can I call 3-1-1 to report my bartender mixing me a Jack and Coke?
Posted by: Rob Carlson | November 30, 2010 5:07 PM
i LOVE FOUR LOKO!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | November 30, 2010 5:20 PM
I think we need to organize a big four loko party (if you have it).
Posted by: Calvin | November 30, 2010 5:55 PM
This ban is like a modern version of that scene from "Salt Lake City Punk", right?
Posted by: Herbert | November 30, 2010 6:54 PM
I bought a can an hour ago- I'm gonna tap it this weekend! (sorry "tap" is sooo on-proper for this activity but yall get the jist)
Posted by: Tif | November 30, 2010 10:09 PM
I like this writeup for several reasons
Posted by: Evan | December 1, 2010 1:02 AM
Thank goodness for that ol' reliable standby... Sparks!
Posted by: Xavier | December 1, 2010 2:12 AM
Glad I bought a can last week, just for kicks. Let's organize a sit-in and drink cans of 4Loko on the steps of City Hall.
Posted by: kateebee | December 1, 2010 8:32 AM
Is Dogfish Head Chicory Stout next? How about Van Gogh Espresso Vodka?
When will we stop blaming substances and start blaming sub-par individual decision-making?
Posted by: LiquorBoarding | December 1, 2010 9:33 AM
And what about Five Loko?
Posted by: Sam Sessa | December 1, 2010 10:35 AM
Sam Five Loko has already been banned in 43 municipalities and Twelve Loko is the new Xtreme drink of choice, get with the times!
Posted by: Evan | December 1, 2010 12:00 PM
@Evan -- Ah crap. I'll download the latest update ... into my belly.
Posted by: Sam Sessa | December 1, 2010 12:12 PM
The ban is to protect youths? I thought the legal drinking age was 21. I guess this is a double ban then.
Posted by: BA | December 1, 2010 12:49 PM
Didn't this ban come about because a college girl crashed and I think died because she had a can or two of Four Loko? Her family brought this to the attention of the media. What I love about this story is that she was drunk and decided to drive, that is the underlying issue here. Gotta love liberal Maryland!
Posted by: AR | December 1, 2010 2:22 PM
I went to Wells a couple weeks ago to buy a case of the mo fo loko, when i heard of the impending ban, and they told me they had stopped selling it a month prior, out of a sense of "social responsibility" to protect the kids (no, they did not say, "youths"). . . . Looks like we have some shopping to do tonight or tomorrow afternoon. . . . I like the idea of a no mo fo lo party. It would have to be held somewhere with a vomitorium and well-padded floors. . . . It's like battery acid laced with arsenic and crack!
Posted by: nan-sea | December 1, 2010 4:06 PM