Alcoholic energy drinks raise concerns; Michigan agency investigates labeling
MICHIGAN - Alcoholic energy drinks in brightly colored cans with names like Joose and Sparks are bound to appeal to young people, Therese Doud thinks, and that has her worried.
Doud, a substance abuse prevention coordinator for the Washtenaw County Public Health Department, said there are inherent risks when combining alcohol, a depressant, and caffeine, a stimulant.
Doud said it's pretty clear marketers of these drinks are selling to a young crowd.
"You're intoxicated, but you don't think you're intoxicated," she said. "The feeling is, I'm alert and I can handle this." And while the alcohol content is noted on the can, she said, "you have to look for it."
"When you think about what's appealing ... it's clearly sort of a youthful market, they may be going toward college kids, but it's going to have (broader) appeal."
Doud isn't the only one with such concerns. Earlier this month, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission decided to take a closer look at the caffeinated, alcoholic drinks commonly sold at liquor stores.
The Michigan regulatory agency unanimously passed a motion to examine the packaging of flavored alcoholic drinks with caffeine and other stimulants. Michigan is among the first states to independently target the drinks, which are also under federal scrutiny over concerns about health effects and whether they are marketed to minors.
"We have directed our staff to bring to us these alcohol-energy drinks that have a stimulant. We're going to look at their labels and see if they are in any way confusing or misleading," said commission Chairwoman Nida Samona. "We believe that these products sometimes are misleading people. ... You've got an upper and a downer all in one package."
Under the rule, the Liquor Control Commission can inform a manufacturer if regulators find labels or packages do not clearly show the presence and percentage of alcohol and other stimulants. The beverage maker then has 90 days to make changes and submit it for approval.
"If they don't comply, it comes off the shelves," Samona said.
Justin Bishop, prevention specialist with a non-profit organization called Clean Teens, said some Michigan residents have had concerns about these products for at least the last year and have gotten involved in the conversation.
"A lot of Michigan residents are going to the Liquor Control Commission meetings, which really isn't common," he said.
Brad Christman, who graduated from Ann Arbor Huron High School this spring and is now a freshman at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., spoke on the issue at one of the commission's meetings last year. He helped form a group called Students on Alcohol Prevention during his sophomore year of high school.
Christman said the labels on alcohol-energy drinks — which look similar to those of non-alcoholic energy drinks — "take the fear out of buying" for people who are underage, because they can "have a back-up plan to play dumb" if they are asked for ID.
"You could say, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I thought this was a normal energy drink,'" he said.
He said the volume and alcohol content of these types of drinks also may "influence people to binge drink," because a typical alcohol-energy drink is 24 ounces and has a 12 percent alcohol content, compared to a 12 ounce can of beer, which normally has an alcohol content ranging from 4 to 7 percent.
"It's almost four times the alcohol content of a (regular) beer," Christman said. "One can, one serving, is enough to get you intoxicated."
Michigan joins such states as California, Montana and Utah that have instituted regulations or limited access to the category of drinks often sold in single cans containing hip, colorful designs. Many other states have called on the federal government to investigate and are waiting for the results of a health and safety study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Kevin Jaboro, owner of Ann Arbor's A and L Wine Castle said he sells two types of alcohol-energy drinks: Sparks, which comes in different fruit flavors, such as "lemon stinger," and Joose, which comes in a variety of fruit flavors with added ginseng, caffeine and taurine. The Joose can, he says, resembles a "soda can."
Despite the colorful packaging and the promise of an energy boost, Jaboro said he's not concerned about the products' potential appeal to minors.
"I really don't get the younger crowd buying them, it's really the 30 to 40 crowd," Jaboro said. "It's very surprising."
Last year the FDA notified about two dozen alcohol-energy drink makers that the agency has never specifically approved the addition of caffeine to alcoholic drinks. Officials noted a Wake Forest University study that students who combine those ingredients are more likely to suffer alcohol-related injuries than those drinking alcohol without caffeine.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York recently sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging it to investigate the marketing of the drinks. He said the colorful cans are designed to confuse parents and police with labels that resemble nonalcoholic energy drinks and other beverages.
Lorin Brace, manager at Ann Arbor's Village Corner on South Forest Avenue, said the store caters mostly to 20-somethings. He said it's difficult to tell whether the alcohol-energy drinks he sells are more appealing to that group than any other alcoholic beverage.
"Most of our alcohol sales, other than wine, is to a younger crowd, 21 to 25 (years old), because we're right on campus," Brace said.
Brace said Village Corner sells Four Loko and Joose, which he says are located near the wine coolers and hard lemonade in the store.
"I don't really see how (the packaging) would be misleading," he said. "Other alcoholic beverages have brightly colored labels and it says right on there the alcohol percentage."
An official with the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association said the industry trade group has created a training program for servers and managers that includes information about alcoholic energy drinks. Executive Director Lance Binoniemi said it's important for them to know the differences among all labels to protect themselves as well as customers.
"In this instance, I have to commend the Liquor Control Commission on their diligence. They certainly held a lot of meetings regarding this issue and heard from the public," he said.
Doud said it's important that parents be aware of what their children are drinking. She said that goes for non-alcoholic drinks too. "Maybe it's not OK for kids to be jazzed up on caffeine."