2008 Woodie Awards
Alcohol inhaler questionable
By Kathy Boccella and Mario F. Cattabiani / Knight Ridder Newspapers
Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: News
|
The contraption, marketed as a way to imbibe without calories, carbs, hangovers or telltale breath, has lawmakers scrambling to prohibit it from bars and restaurants.
Several states, including Kansas, Michigan and Colorado, already have bans on the machines. At least a dozen more have measures pending.
Citing health concerns, Congress is considering a bill to require Food and Drug Administration approval of the machines. Groups as diverse as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Beer Wholesalers Association have condemned AWOL, which they fear could fool users into ingesting more alcohol than they realize.
"It promotes irresponsible drinking," said Heather Griffie, a spokeswoman for the beer-sellers' Pennsylvania chapter.
For all the hoo-ha, however, the machine, said to be big in England before it migrated here in 2004, appears to be a commercial dud. The few customers who try it go back to the bottle.
State Rep. Scott Petri, who recently introduced a bill to curb AWOL use, said he knows of only one Pennsylvania bar, in Harrisburg, that has the machines. New Jersey Assemblywoman Linda Stender, who introduced her legislation last month, said she does not know of any in her state.
In Massachusetts, Idaho, Maryland and New York, bills to ban AWOL machines have been introduced by legislators, many of whom use the phrase "the crack cocaine of alcohol." But some said they didn't know of a machine in public use in their state.
Officials worry that AWOL is a special threat to underage drinkers who can buy a machine on the Internet. The AWOL machine is billed as "the ultimate party toy" by Spirit Partners Inc., a North Carolina company that sells it through the Web and distributors.
