Sen. Chuck Schumer filed legislation on Thursday to ban powdered alcohol from reaching the public, with the New York lawmaker angry the federal government approved the powder earlier this week.
Palcohol is similar to Kool-Aid, except that instead of getting a fruity drink you get a margarita. The powder is mixed with about six ounces of liquid.
The small company making the product, Lipsmark, got approval for its labeling from the Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau earlier this week, and the company plans to make the product available by this summer.
However, Schumer’s bill would override that approval. Schumer said the powdered substance could help spur underage drinking and is unsafe.
“I am in total disbelief that our federal government has approved such an obviously dangerous product, and so, Congress must take matters into its own hands,” he said in a release Thursday.
Schumer noted the company touted that Palcohol could be snorted to get drunk almost instantly, a claim that has been taken down on the company’s website.
Lipsmark didn’t return a request for comment as of press time.
The company attempts to address the safety concerns with the product on its website.
The site says people won’t snort Palcohol because the alcohol “really burns.” The company adds it would take about 60 minutes to snort the equivalent of one shot of vodka.
The company added that Palcohol would be sold wherever liquid alcohol is sold and that it cannot be sold to minors.
In addition to the legislation, several states are considering banning the product.
