America
Most US adults back ban on powdered alcohol: Survey
New York, June 16
Driven by concerns of
potential misuse among underage youth, majority of adults in the US
favour a ban on recently approved powdered alcohol which can create an
instant cocktail when mixed with water, reveals a survey.
Packaged
in travel-friendly pouches, the new alcohol-on-the-go product is set to
be launched in flavours of distilled spirits like vodka, rum and mixed
drinks.
According to the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott
Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, 60 percent of
the US adults favour a complete ban of powdered alcohol in their states,
while 84 percent support prohibiting online sales of the product.
"The
product's makers tout powdered alcohol as improving convenience for
people who enjoy the outdoors and others who want to travel light with
alcoholic beverages," said Matthew Davis, director of the National Poll
on Children's Health and professor of paediatrics and internal medicine
at the University of Michigan Medical School.
"Given that several
states are considering legislation about powdered alcohol, our poll
looked at what the public thinks about this new product. The majority of
adults agree that powdered alcohol may spell trouble for young people."
Only about a third of adults had heard about powdered alcohol when the poll was conducted in May 2015.
The survey revealed that 90 percent of adults are concerned that powdered alcohol will be misused by people under 21.
The
product is set to launch this summer but some states, including
Louisiana, South Carolina and Vermont, have already banned it.
"Concerns
of the public are important to understand as lawmakers across the
country consider legislation to restrict or ban the use of powdered
alcohol in their states," Davis said.