By Adam Nichols
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — The flow of caffeinated alcoholic drinks into New York has dried up.
Suppliers of Four Loko and other drinks deemed deadly by some politicians have buckled to pressure from the State Liquor Authority to stop delivering it to city retailers.
The drinks contain several cups of coffee worth of caffeine and three times more alcohol than a can of beer, raising concerns from many officials, including Sen. Chuck Schumer.
The fruity malt cocktail has been connected to several deaths, and has already been banned in Michegan, Washington, Oklahoma and Utah.
"New Yorkers deserve to know that the beverages they buy are safe for consumption," Governor David Paterson said.
The State Liquor Authority secured an agreement with New York's biggest beer distributors which states they will not distribute the drinks after Dec. 10.
The maker of Four Loko has agreed to stop shipping it to the state by Nov. 19.
The liquor authority will be able to fine shop owners found selling it.
"We have an obligation to keep products that are potentially hazardous off the shelves, and there is simply not enough research to show that these products are safe," authority chairman Dennis Rosen said in a statement released Sunday.
The makers of one of the caffeinated alcoholic drinks questioned how the adult beverages found their way into the hands of minors to begin with.
"We think that it shows that we are not
turning a deaf ear to what's going on, that a select few have chosen to
abuse our products, drink them while underage or break the law and sell
them to minors," Jaisen Freeman, co-founder of drink manufacturer Phusion Projects, told the Daily News.
Sen. Schumer told the News, "(This is) a giant step forward in keeping our kids safe from these toxic and dangerous brews."
