Chances are, if you go to school at Central Washington University or Ramapo College in New Jersey, ""getting Loko"" is banned. Recently, both schools have had major issues with the relatively new and very alcoholic beverage called Four Loko. As a result of the drink's effects, around 30 people have ended up in the hospital, which police blame on the drink's combined ingredients.
Four Loko comes in a 23.5-ounce can that is 12 percent alcohol and has a significant amount of caffeine. ABC News says that one Four Loko contains as much alcohol as a six-pack of beer and the caffeine equivalent of one cup of coffee. According to ABC News, the manufacturer, Phusion Projects, defended its product to, ""pointing to seven labels on the can warning of the drink's contents and calling attention to the need for identification to purchase it."" Yet the drink's warning labels don't dispel the stigma of Four Loko being called ""blackout in a can.""
Currently, the Food and Drug Administration is investigating caffeinated alcoholic beverages including Four Loko, Sparks, Joose and more. The FDA wants to know if there is any justifiable reason to mix caffeine with alcohol. But for now, Central Washington and Ramapo have banned Four Loko on campus.
First of all, there is no scientific justification for mixing caffeine (a stimulant) and alcohol (a depressant). It is bad for you and only gets you overly drunk and super hyper at an extremely low price.
Yet drinks that produce similar effects like rum and Coke or Red Bull and vodka fail to face investigation. The only reason why Four Loko is being targeted is because it's sold premixed. If anything it's a brilliant idea because college students everywhere are going to jump on the Loko bandwagon—upping profits for Phusion Projects and adding more competition to an already competitive market.
We should not be punishing Phusion Projects for making a product that consumers have shown profound interest in. The cases in Washington and New Jersey are just mere examples of freshmen drinking for the first time and drinking way too much.
ABC interviewed one of the freshmen that was at the party where Four Loko's effects are being blamed for putting consumers in the hospital. The police report detailing the party said other drinks aside from Four Loko were present, including vodka and beer. While some students may have consumed Four Loko, the fact that many of the attendees blasted passed their drinking limits was the real danger. Rather than waking up late the next morning, their over-the-top level of alcohol consumption put them in a hospital the next day with an IV in their arm, a $300 ticket in their lap and a headache that felt like a bowling ball.
But why are we punishing Phusion Projects when in reality these kids just didn't know when to stop? You can get the exact same result from any other alcoholic beverage. It was the combination of vodka, beer and Four Loko that put these kids in the hospital, not solely Four Loko.
It is unreasonable to argue that Four Loko is the one of the worst things that students are putting into their bodies. If protecting the health of students is the main concern, why don't universities ban cigarettes, non-alcoholic energy drinks or junk food? These things cause long-term health risks too, yet they are perfectly acceptable.
What about Adderall? There is almost no control over consuming this dangerous substance and yet thousands of college students have tried it. Someone could have a stockpile of a hundred pills in their dorm room but as long as they have a prescription, which a six year old could con into getting, it is totally fine. The choice to put this crap into your body should be yours and yours alone. No university should be allowed to take that choice away.
Don't get me wrong, Four Loko is a dangerous substance that is risky to consume, but if students want to ruin their health then who is the university to stop them? While it may be a drink worth taking precautions for, Four Loko's rousing effects of a drunken stupor can be not just dangerous but crazy as well.
Nick Fritz is a sophomore majoring in marketing. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
