In March, the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco approved the sale of “palcohol.” Palcohol is a dried form of alcohol that can be mixed with liquid to create liquid alcohol. A packet of palcohol equals one shot of liquor. At the June 16 meeting of the Yucca Valley Town Council, council members directed staff to contact state legislators expressing the town’s concerns about powdered alcohol. Managing editor Tami Roleff was at the meeting and explains what those concerns are…
Some of the concerns about powdered alcohol, or palcohol, are that youth will have easy access to the packets, and that the packets, which are similar in size and shape to children’s drinks, can be easily concealed by underage drinkers and brought into events where alcohol is not allowed. Health experts also fear that teens will snort or eat the powdered alcohol, or that palcohol will be mixed with beer or other alcoholic drinks, making a doubly potent cocktail. Currently 12 states ban the sale of palcohol, and three states have passed temporary bans on the sale of the product. The town can’t ban the sale of palcohol since legally it isn’t any different from liquid alcohol, which can be sold by anyone with an ABC license. Any bans must be made at the federal or state level.
