Four Loko Blamed in Hospitalization of Central Wash.

Students

11/19/12 3:53 PM

(http://www.insidehighered.com)

Four Loko Blamed in Hospitalization of Central Wash. Students

Submitted by Doug Lederman on October 26, 2010 - 3:00am When nine Central Washington University students were hospitalized after a party this month, many suspected a "date rape" drug was to blame. But authorities announced Monday that four of the students were knocked out by drinking Four Loko, a caffeinated alcohol drink that enables people to get very drunk very quickly, The Seattle Times [1] reported. Washington State's attorney general is calling for the drink -- known by some as "blackout in a can" -- to be banned. The growing popularity of the drink has alarmed some campus health officials, and Ramapo College this month banned the drink. [2] Phusion, the company that creates Four Loko, issued a statement late Monday in which it said: "No one is more upset than we are when our products are abused or consumed unlawfully by underage drinkers, which appears to have been the case at Central Washington. However, we also know that curbing alcohol abuse on college campuses will not be accomplished by singling out a lone product or beverage category. The only answer lies with increased education and awareness by all involved and with respecting the law." The statement also said that "consuming caffeine and alcohol together has been done safely for years."
Source URL: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2010/10/26/four-loko-blamed-hospitalization-central-washstudents Links: [1] http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013255746_cwustudents26m.html [2] http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/18/ramapo

http://www.insidehighered.com/print/quicktakes/2010/10/26/four-loko-pitalization-central-wash-students?width=775&height=500&iframe=true

Page 1 of 1