Sen. Charles Schumer is introducing a bill to outlaw the production, sale and possession of powdered alcohol.
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved Palcohol for sale Wednesday. As News 12 has reported, Palcohol can turn any mixer into an alcoholic substance.
Steve Chassman, head of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, says legalizing the powder would only worsen an already alarming rate of alcohol abuse by young adults.
"This is geared...toward instant gratification. On Long Island, you can see on any Wednesday through Sunday that ER visits are up as a result of alcohol poisonings or alcohol-related behaviors," said Chassman.
Advocates say in suburban communities like Long Island, teens already have easy access to alcohol, usually right in their own homes. What advocates say is most disturbing about the powdered form is that it makes that access even easier.
The pouches of powder also serve as the container to drink it from after water is added.
Although federal approval was given for sale of the product, individual states can regulate the sales. Besides efforts to ban sales of Palcohol statewide, Sen. Schumer is introducing a federal measure to ban the sales nationally.