Powdered liquor ban supported

DES MOINES - Iowa lawmakers are taking steps to ban sales of powdered or crystalline alcohol in the state.

House Study Bill 132 - which cleared a House subcommittee 3-0 Tuesday - would prohibit holders of state liquor licenses, such as bars or retailers of alcoholic beverages, from selling, offering for sale, or using powdered or crystalline forms of alcohol. The only known product is 'Palcohol,” a product developed by a company based in Phoenix, Ariz., said Stephanie Strauss of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission.

Strauss told subcommittee members that five states have banned the product, which is not yet available anywhere. Iowa is among 17 other state's looking to ban the product that is made by freeze-drying and pulverizing liquid alcohol and then packaged in a sealed pouch.

'This is an emerging issue,” said Strauss, who noted that the federal Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau approved a powdered form of alcoholic liquid for U.S. sale in April 2014, but then quickly rescinded the approval stating the decision was made in error.

'The problem you run into with products like this is you can mix it into different concentrations, and especially with younger children, it can be more easily concealed and taken into schools and put into soft drinks and things like that,” said Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale.

Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, the subcommittee's leader, commended state regulators for identifying the potential harm and taking positive action regarding a product that poses potential risk to public health due to improper mixing, difficulty in regulating dosage, access to minors and even snorting.

'Normally, I'm an individual who believes the less government the better, but I just see so many opportunities for abuse of this product and safety from the standpoint of our young people that I'm supportive of this bill,” said Steven Holt, R-Denison.

Rizer said the bill could be considered in the House Commerce Committee later this week. A similar bill is pending in the Senate Commerce Committee.

Mark Phillips, the creator of Palcohol, takes the view that people creating 'hysteria” about powdered alcohol are 'either ignorant or being untruthful to promote their agenda.”

His products simply are a powdered version of rum, vodka and four cocktails with the same alcohol content as the traditional version, he said in an interview earlier this month.

In a video on the Palcohol website, he called claims about the dangers of snorting powdered alcohol and the ease with which minors can buy it, sneak it into theaters and other venues and use it to spike drinks 'completely false.”