Michigan Police, Doctors Urge Quick Ban On Powdered Alcohol

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Michigan may join at least six other states and ban a powder product that makes vodka, rum and cocktail drinks when mixed with water.

Police chiefs, physicians and liquor lobbyists are working with lawmakers in an effort to prohibit powdered alcohol in the state. They will hold a news conference in the Capitol Tuesday calling on the Legislature to act on bipartisan bills without delay.

What is powdered alcohol? According to Military Times, it's a product known as Palcohol that some members of the military hope to be able to tote on deployments and camping trips. It received federal approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in March.

But it seems to be going nowhere fast. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a bill last month to ban its manufacture, sale, distribution or possession, saying it "creates an immense danger to teens and others."

"I am in total disbelief that our federal government has approved such an obviously dangerous product, and so, Congress must take matters into its own hands and make powdered alcohol illegal," Schumer wrote in a pres release.

Supporters of the ban in Michigan say they're worried people may inadvertently make overly potent drinks with water or instead mix the product with alcoholic beverages to create a "super-alcoholic" drink.

The product won federal approval in March, and states have been moving quickly to prohibit it. The creator has said he believes the resistance to Palcohol is being driven partly by the liquor industry's worry about competition.

At least six states have banned powdered alcohol, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and 30 others are considering bans.

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