The Kansas House has passed a bill that would ban the sale of powdered alcohol. The federal government recently approved the product for sale under the brand name Palcohol. Some lawmakers have raised concerns about the powder being snorted or otherwise abused.
Republican Representative Ramon Gonzalez has concerns about children being exposed to powdered alcohol.
“And this is just another substance that will be in the house, the kid will think it’s Kool-Aid and they’ll pick it up and who knows what’s going to happen with it,” says Gonzalez.
The company Palcohol says the equivalent of one shot of alcohol is around a half cup of powder.
Republican Representative Brett Hildabrand says the concerns about powdered alcohol are similar to concerns about regular alcohol and he says banning it is premature.
“We don’t need to be passing bills up here that attack free-market products. This is a business that has created a new product. Let’s let it develop,” says Hildabrand.
The House added the ban to a bill during a debate this week. The legislation now goes to the Kansas Senate for consideration.
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The Kansas House has passed a bill that would ban the sale of powdered alcohol in the state. The product was recently approved for sale by the federal government under the brand name Palcohol. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, the ban was added to a bill during a debate this week.
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Supporters of the ban say they’re concerned the powder could be easy to abuse through means like sneaking it in a drink or snorting it. The company points out you’d have to snort nearly a half cup of powder to get the equivalent of one shot.
Republican Representative Ramon Gonzalez has concerns about children being exposed to powdered alcohol.
“And this is just another substance that will be in the house, the kid will think it’s Kool-Aid and they’ll pick it up and who knows what’s going to happen with it,” says Gonzalez.
Some opponents of banning powdered alcohol say the concerns with the product are the same with regular alcohol.
Republican Representative Craig McPherson says banning it is premature.
“We’re trying with this amendment to actually lead by outlawing it before we even know how it would be used in the marketplace,” says McPherson.
The bill including the ban on powdered alcohol now goes to the Kansas Senate for consideration.