Colleges Target Alcoholic Energy Drinks

A number of colleges across the country are urging students to avoid what they consider a dangerous combination of alcohol and caffeine in the increasingly popular alcoholic energy drink Four Loko, with some schools banning the drink’s consumption altogether.

The Boston Globe reported Nov. 2 that health officials at several schools — such as Harvard, Northeastern, and Boston College — have communicated directly with students in recent weeks, stating that the caffeine in Four Loko can mask the effects of its high alcohol content.

Boston University officials told students in a Nov. 1 advisory that “alcohol companies are targeting college students with these products without regard for your safety” and urged students to avoid mixing alcohol with caffeine.

The manufacturer of Four Loko, Phusion Products, says its product is legal and safe, and it has sent data about the alcohol-caffeine combination to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the agency reviews whether alcoholic energy drinks should remain on the market. 

Four Loko comes in fruit flavors and is sold in brightly colored 23-ounce cans for about $3, making it a popular choice among student drinkers. The product has come under increased attention after multiple hospitalizations in several locations were linked to it; Central Washington University banned the drink after nine students who had attended a party were hospitalized last month.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that consuming alcohol mixed with caffeinated energy drinks increases an individual’s risk of binge drinking threefold.

With a drink that has become known as “blackout in a can” becoming increasingly appealing to underage drinkers, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office confirmed this week that it is investigating whether Phusion Products has engaged in improper marketing.

Editor's note: Ramapo College (NJ) banned the products Oct. 1, while the University of Rhode Island announced a ban Nov. 3.