Alcohol Justice and the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) are reporting that the first of two proposed bills to ban powdered alcohol in California has been passed by the powerful California Senate Governmental Organization (GO) Committee.
"We applaud Senator Huff (R-Diamond Bar), author of SB 819, Senator Hall, Chair of the GO Committee, and all the GO Committee members for their leadership on this issue," stated Richard Zaldivar, spokesperson for CAPA and Alcohol Justice. "As soon as this bill is passed by the entire legislature and signed by Governor Brown, California will join 28 other states which have already banned the product to protect the health and safety of our young people."
SB 819, and an identical measure in the Assembly (AB 1554 - authored by Assemblymember Irwin D-Thousand Oaks), will create a comprehensive pre-emptive stop to a chilling litany of health and safety concerns associated with powdered or crystalline alcohol. The bills will prohibit the possession, purchase, sale, offer for sale, distribution, manufacture, or use of powdered alcohol and would make the violation of these provisions punishable with a fine.
An impressive group of public health and safety advocates from across the state have come together to support the legislation including:
Alcohol Justice
Alpine County Board of Supervisors
California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA)
California College and University Police Chiefs Association (CCUPCA)
California Council on Alcohol Problems (CALCAP)
California District Attorneys Association (CDAA)
California State Sheriffs Association (CSSA)
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
City of El Cajon
City of Hayward
Consumer Federation of California (CFC)
County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC)
County of Los Angeles, Office of the Sheriff
Eden Youth & Family Center
Friday Night Live
Health Officers Association of California (HOAC)
Institute for Public Strategies
Janus of Santa Cruz
Los Angeles Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance (LADAPA)
Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California (LOPP)
Marin County Board of Supervisors
The McGeorge Clinic (UOP McGeorge School of Law)
Pueblo Y Salud
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Saving Lives Coalition
The Wall Las Memorias Project
Youth Leadership Institute (YLI)
Placer County Board of Supervisors
Last March, Alcohol Justice requested emergency legislative action nationwide and in California in response to news that the U.S. Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) approved labels for the powdered alcohol product, Palcohol. The TTB approval gave a green light to begin marketing it wherever legal. Since then, 28 states have permanently banned powdered alcohol. Two states have enacted temporary one-year statutory bans, and three states are regulating it under existing alcohol statutes.
"We know that every year over 500 underage alcohol-related deaths occur in California, while underage drinking costs the public $3.5 billion," said Bruce Lee Livingston, Executive Director / CEO of Alcohol Justice. "Today's unanimous committee vote sends a strong message that California will not allow the dangers that powdered alcohol products would add."
The bill passed today on a 12-0 vote and will now move through one more committee before being voted upon by the full Senate.
