TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sipping your favorite cocktail usually requires a bartender or a bottle of liquor, but a new product is claiming that you just need some water and a powder packet. Some lawmakers are scrambling to ban it, but the creator said concerns are unfounded.
More than half of state legislatures around the country are considering a ban or regulation on powdered alcohol this year.
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Palcohol creator Mark Phillips responded to Florida's proposals in a statement, part of it reading, "Whether you are conservative or liberal, no one wants a nanny state telling its citizens what they can and cannot drink."
The new product, Palcohol, not yet available in stores, is powdered alcohol that is consumable once mixed with water. But lawmakers are concerned.
Sen. Gwen Margolis is proposing an outright ban.
"It's so easy to carry around, it's so easy for kids to take this alcohol and shake it up in some water and drink it, and you don't really know you don't see it," said Margolis. "It's just alcohol, It's just powder."
Margolis is proposing an outright ban.
Phillips has addressed some of the concerns, like spiking drinks and snorting the concoction, on the products website.
"Clearly, Palcohol will not make it easier to spike a drink thanks to the size of the packet and how long it takes to dissolve," Phillips said.
Some lawmakers have indicated an outright ban may not be the way to go.
"We can't stop technology," said Sen. Garret Richter. "We need to responsibly regulate it."
The bill's sponsor said that if the state does ban the product, tourists shouldn't worry about accidentally bringing the substance from their home state where it might be legal to Florida.
"If somebody happens to not know, and come through and have it in their pocket, there's nothing that you can do about it," said Margolis. "It certainly has an exemption for people who come through, because it's a tourist area."
The Senate proposal to ban powdered alcohol awaits a floor vote. The house version has one more committee to clear.
If powdered alcohol is not banned, Palcohol is expected to be available in stores this summer.