It was previously reported that powdered alcohol, or Palcohol, had been approved by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Now the federal government said Monday that the label approval was done in “error.”
The approval was granted on April 8, though has since been rescinded. “TTB did approve labels for Palcohol,” the Bureau said in a statement. “Those label approvals were issued in error and have since been surrendered.”
Lipsmark, the company that produces Palcohol said in their own statement that “there seemed to be a discrepancy on our fill level, how much powder is in the bag. This doesn’t mean that Palcohol isn’t approved. It just means that these labels aren’t approved. We will re-submit labels.” Palcohol can be mixed with water to create an intoxicating beverage, and can also be sprinkled on food after it’s cooked.
The creator of “Pal,” Mark Phillips, asks, “What’s worse than going to a concert, sporting event, etc. and having to pay $10, $15, $20 for a mixed drink with tax and tip. Are you kidding me?! Take Palcohol into the venue and enjoy a mixed drink for a fraction of the cost.” Though the TTB likely sees the product as a potential harbinger of a public health cataclysm.
All the hipsters are like: yo, can I get that palcohol infused with lavender or WHAT? http://t.co/YyEuHf88Yi
— Man Repeller (@ManRepeller) April 22, 2014
Fred and Mel – It's alcohol in cocaine form! http://t.co/bLV5WrSe0H
— 102.1 the Edge (@the_edge) April 22, 2014
Palcohol (powdered alcohol) is how people die
— Robbie Fiorani (@RobbieFiorani) April 22, 2014
How have I survived this long without Palcohol? http://t.co/kfMmh2CbyC
— Betches Love This (@betchesluvthis) April 21, 2014
Palcohol’s site originally explained the potential of misuse of the product, in a manner surely to turn off substance abusers everywhere – “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room….snorting Palcohol. Yes, you can snort it. And you’ll get drunk almost instantly because the alcohol will be absorbed so quickly in your nose. Good idea? No. It will mess you up. Use Palcohol responsibly.”
Phillips had initially been attempting to keep his invention under the radar, though was recently prompted to adjust some of the wording on his website. “We are excited by the approval of our powdered alcohol product, Palcohol. However, we were caught off guard with the release of some of our labels by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). As a result, people visited this website that we thought was under the radar because we had not made a formal announcement of Palcohol.”
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