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The popular, formerly caffeinated, fruity alcoholic beverage, Four Loko, has been blamed for the spike in alcohol-related hospitalizations, especially throughout college campuses. Initially, caffeine was deemed the culprit and the Food and Drug Administration ordered all traces of caffeine to be removed from Four Loko and all other similar beverages. However, according to an upcoming evaluation in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, caffeine might not be the primary cause of the spike in hospitalizations. “Four Loko didn’t have the extraordinary intoxicating effect because of caffeine, but rather because of the phenomenon of situational...

Coming to a gas pump near you. Even if you can't drink and drive, your car can. A Virginia company is taking in truckloads of boozy caffeinated drinks, including Four Loko, and recycling the stuff into pure ethanol to be blended into gasoline. A crackdown on the beverages is leading wholesalers to send the drinks from their warehouses to waste management companies for handling. "We’re at full capacity," Brian Potter, a VP for MXI Environmental Services, told the Associated Press. "There are about 30 different products involved, and we’ve only seen a couple of them at this point. It could...

In a crowded Washington DC bar one recent Friday night, a patron carrying a nefarious-looking black plastic bag pushes his way past bearded hipsters and preppy Capitol Hill staffers, stopping at a table packed with weekend revelers. “Check this out,” he says, holding up the bag. He pulls out a tall colorful can of Four Loko, a fizzy-lifting drink loaded with caffeine and booze that has made headlines recently when it was banned by the Food and Drug Administration. Nearly everyone at the table lunges to touch the taboo cocktail, pulling it in close to finally catch a glimpse of...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Food and Drug Administration will rule that caffeine is an unsafe food additive to alcoholic beverages, effectively making products such as Four Loko and Joose prohibited for sale in the United States, according to Senator Charles Schumer of New York. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission plans to notify manufacturers that they are engaged in the potential illegal marketing of unsafe alcoholic drinks, Schumer said in a statement. Joose maker United Brands argues that the product contains less caffeine than colas and isn't aware of injury or harm associated with its products.

OLYMPIA — The state Liquor Control Board on Wednesday approved an emergency ban of caffeinated alcohol drinks, the type of beverage that sickened nine Central Washington University students last month during an off-campus party. In the unanimous vote, commissioners said they took the action because of public health and safety concerns. The ban will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 18 and remain in place for 120 days while the board goes through rule-making procedures for a permanent ban. Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to hold a news conference shortly regarding the ban. In a news release last month,...

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Some lawmakers are looking to ban Four Loko, a high-energy alcohol drink popular among college students, from being sold in New York City. City Councilman James Sanders Jr., who led the charge in 2006 to ban a drink called “Cocaine” from hitting store shelves, says he has launched an investigation and is in contact with health experts about the beverage’s safety. “We are going to go crazy to protect our children from going crazy over Four Loko,” Sanders said.