A committee in the Kansas House has advanced a bill that would bar the sale of powdered alcohol. It’s known by the brand name Palcohol. Republican Joseph Scapa is pushing for the ban.
“There are several issues here, there are issues of how easily it can be concealed, how easily it can be abused by minors,” says Scapa.
The bill would prohibit the sale of Palcohol, but Scapa says he’ll likely offer an amendment to bar the possession of it, as well.
The company says the equivalent of one drink is a pouch containing about a half cup of powder. The powder is mixed with water to make a drink.
The product isn’t yet on sale in Kansas. Republican Representative Brett Hildabrand calls this action premature.
“We don’t know the commercial applications of this, how this might be used in restaurants, and we’re ready to jump to the conclusion of ‘let’s ban it’ before looking at all the possibilities,” says Hildabrand.
Hildabrand says there is a potential for abuse with Palcohol, but the same potential exists with regular alcohol. The legislation will now go to the full Kansas House.