As of Dec. 13, the popular energy drink Four Loko will no longer be on the shelves in any store in the country, at least, not in its current form. The Chicago-based manufacturer Phusion Projects decided to pull the can after the Food and Drug Administration threatened to ban it outright. Several other alcoholic energy drink manufactures are also being targeted and therefore are also pulling their products.
The rationale behind the threats from the FDA is that Four Loko and other alcoholic energy drinks like it aren't safe, because mixing a depressant (alcohol) with a stimulant (caffeine) was a bad idea. In the letter, the FDA wrote ""Because caffeine alters the perception of alcohol intoxication, the consumption of pre-mixed products containing added caffeine and alcohol may result in higher amounts of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion, a situation that is particularly dangerous for naïve drinkers.""
It's true; the mixed ingredients found in Four Loko aren't necessarily safe. The problem with the FDA's rationale, however, is that there exists countless ""particularly dangerous"" foods and drinks available to consumers. Red Bull and vodka, energy drinks and McDonald's cheeseburgers (at least in the long run) are all ""particularly dangerous"" if consumed in excess. Alcohol in general is extremely dangerous for ""naïve drinkers,"" just ask the UW-Police how many people they have to drag to detox every Friday night.
When people drink Four Loko, they know what they are getting themselves into. If Four Loko tried to hide the fact that it contained so much caffeine and alcohol, the FDA would have a point, but it didn't. In fact, the company marketed the product as a ""Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverage."" Furthermore, the reports of hospitalizations from drinking Four Loko were a result of people drinking two or three in a very short time.
While college kids across the country will have to go back to drinking good ol' fashioned kegs and mixing their own drinks for the first time since last semester, the Four Loko debacle speaks to a larger issue of personal responsibility compared to a government nanny state.
What gives the federal government the power to tell you what you can and can't drink? Is a ban on vodka and Red Bull in the near future? Should the beloved Fat Sandwich Company be shut down due to the fact that it may give you a heart attack if you eat it more than three times a week?
At the end of the day we are in charge of our own health and our own wellbeing. If we choose to choke down a meal from Fat Sandwich Company every day, then we will have to live with the possible consequence of being morbidly obese. If we drop a shot of Everclear into a Four Loko to make a Lokobomb, we will have to accept whatever disastrous consequences come of it.
The FDA certainly has a place when it comes to making sure that products aren't outright deadly and ensuring that companies are advertising their product as it is. In the case of Four Loko, however, there was no evidence to suggest that drinking the can was any more dangerous than drinking Red Bull and vodka.
While campuses and local communities should have a little more leeway when it comes to banning products they deem detrimental to the community, unelected bureaucrats in Washington telling individuals what they can and can't drink oversteps the boundaries of the federal government.
As college students, it is important that if we drink, we do so responsibly. It's not the job of the federal government to hold our hand and make sure we don't do anything that may be considered ""naïve."" At least in part, this country was founded on the principles of personal responsibility, not government intrusion from the cradle to the grave.
Matt Payne is a junior majoring in economics and Chinese. We welcome all feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
