New York Senate Passes Bill Banning Powdered Alcohol

The New York State Senate has passed legislation (S7217A) that would ban the sale of powdered alcohol, a concentrated alcoholic beverage deemed “unnecessary” and “dangerous” by the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Joseph Griffo (R-Rome). One such product, Lipsmark, LLC’s Palcohol®, was approved in April by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), but the agency later reversed its approval, stating that it had been made in “error.” Lipsmark has reportedly resubmitted its application for approval.

If the bill is passed by the New York State Assembly, powdered alcohol would be banned in the state even if TTB approves it to be marketed in the United States. “Should the [Food and Drug Administration] reverse its decision again and approve it, we should have a law in place to prohibit the sale of this product in New York. I hope the Assembly will join us in passing this legislation,” said Griffo.

Powdered alcohol has been banned in Alaska, and legislation to prohibit it was approved recently in South Carolina and Vermont. Additional details about Palcohol® appear in Issue 523 of this Update. See New York State Senate News Release, June 11, 2014.

Issue 526