Four Loko, Joose banned in Kansas

Kansas joined a handful of other states this afternoon in banning caffeinated alcoholic beverages.

A press release from the Kansas Department of Revenue states that all flavors of Four Loko, Four Maxed, Joose and Max are no longer legal for sale or distribution in the state.

This comes after the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that caffeine was an “unsafe food additive” in these beverages.

Thomas W. Groneman, director of the Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control, said in a letter to retailers that he is recalling the products because the mix of caffeine and alcohol “can place an undue strain on the heart and central nervous system, cause dehydration, and hinder the body’s ability to metabolize alcohol.”

Freda Warfield, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control, said that as of Monday, no cans of those four products can be sold in Kansas.

Warfield also said that when Phusion Projects, the company that produces Four Loko, reformulates its product to contain no caffeine, the ban will be reviewed.

Distributors must retrieve cans of unsold products from retailers no later than Dec. 1.

Zack Mingo, a junior from Garden City, said he’s upset to hear about the ban.

When money is low at the end of the month, he said, he appreciated only having to spend a few dollars on a can of Four Loko. But he said he wasn’t surprised that Kansas banned the products.

“I sort of expected something would happen here,” he said.

Quinn Emler, a sophomore from Wichita, said she agrees with the state’s decision.

“Honestly, I think they should be banned,” she said. “I don’t think alcohol and energy drinks should be mixed.”

Emler said she thought beverages like Four Loko are unsafe because some people don’t understand the effect that large quantities of caffeine and alcohol can have on a person’s body.

Edited by Roshni Oommen

• Updated Nov. 22, 2010 at 8:16 pm