Powdered alcohol gets reprieve

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Powdered alcoholic beverages won't go down the drain in Florida.

The state House adjourned Tuesday without taking action on a Senate bill (SB 998) that would have banned the sale and use of powdered alcohol.

The issue stems largely from a powdered-alcohol product called Palcohol, which can be mixed with water, cola or juice.

The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau this year approved sales of Palcohol by the privately held company Lipsmark LLC. But some lawmakers wanted to ban it in Florida, arguing in part that powdered alcohol could be used by children.

Other lawmakers, however, wanted to regulate the product instead of banning it.

The Senate voted 35-2 last week to approve the bill, but the full House did not take up the issue.