CITY HALL — A powerful alderman moved Wednesday to ban a powdered-alcohol product before its expected release this summer.
"The possibilities for abuse concerning this product are seemingly endless," said Ald. Edward Burke (14th). "This product is so light and transportable that it could be slipped into a child's pocket and brought to school. It could also be easily put in someone's food or beverage without their knowledge."
According to Burke, a product called Palcohol, made from freeze-dried alcohol, is expected to hit store shelves this summer.
Each packet, according to the alderman, contains the equivalent of a shot of liquor, and will be available as powdered rum or vodka under the varieties Mojito, Lemon Drop Cosmopolitan and Powderita.
Burke's ordinance would ban a business from selling or possessing the product and would set $2,000-$5,000 fines for each offense.
Scientific American reports that the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved Palcohol for sale Tuesday, but already states are trying to ban it:
"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."
South Carolina, Louisiana and Vermont already have banned the substance, and similar bans are in the works in Colorado, New York and Rhode Island, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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