Last updated on June 16th, 2016 at 11:28 am
Alcohol Justice and the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) are reporting that the Senate Governmental Organization Committee unanimously passed AB 155 on June 14. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), and coauthored by Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), previously had passed unopposed through the Assembly. It will prohibit the possession, purchase, sale, offer for sale, distribution, manufacture or use of powdered alcohol in California and would make the violation of those provisions punishable with a fine.
The measure awaits the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown.
“According to the 2011-2013 Healthy Kids Survey, more than 10 percent of 11th graders say their typical level of intoxication is to get drunk, and more than 20 percent said they had binged in the past month,” said Dr. Nancy Williams, Public Health Officer for El Dorado County. “Even 5 percent of 7th graders had binged in the past month. Considering all of the existing issues with alcohol, why would we want to add yet another potential source to the mix?”
Assemblymember Irwin said, “Powdered alcohol is a dangerous product, designed and marketed as a way to make super-charged cocktails on the go. Alcohol-related deaths are already a huge problem in California, and adding powdered alcohol to the mix is a recipe for disaster. Today’s vote reflects the overwhelming, bipartisan support behind the powdered alcohol ban, and I applaud my Senate colleagues for taking decisive action to protect public health.”
Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director and CEO of Alcohol Justice, which is a co-sponsor of AB 1554, said, “We applaud Assemblymember Irwin, Senator Hall and all the other GO Committee members for their continued support of a ban on this youth-attractive, alcoholic substance.”
“As soon as this bill is passed by the entire legislature and signed by Governor Brown, California will join 32 other states which have already banned the product to protect the health and safety of our young people,” added Richard Zaldivar, co-chair of CAPA.
SB 819, a companion measure in the Senate authored by Sen. Huff, passed earlier through the Senate and the Assembly GO Committee.
Both SB 819 and AB 1554 are supported by public health and safety advocates from across the state.
Last March, Alcohol Justice requested emergency legislative action nationwide in response to news that the U.S. Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) approved labels for the powdered alcohol product Palcohol. The TTB approval gave a green light to begin marketing it wherever legal. Since then, 32 states have permanently or temporarily banned powdered alcohol, while just three states regulate it under existing alcohol statutes.
“We know that every year over 500 underage alcohol-related deaths occur in California, while underage drinking costs the public $3.5 billion,” said Livingston. “Today’s unanimous committee vote sends a strong message that California will not allow this dangerous product to add more harm.”
