[mattduke]

Notice how she states "there is no law permitting caffeine in alcoholic beverages."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/f ... tqshow=GMA

[careinke]

Does this mean that Irish Coffee is next????

[Tyler_JC]

I'm actually thrilled with this decision.

I'm about to buy a couple dozen cases of FourLoko to sell on the black market. Easy money.

[Sixstrings]

I agree with them. I'm suspicious of all these herbal energy products; they're either snake oil at best or at worst they're a little dangerous. We're such a drug-fueled culture.. I don't like the way these energy products are marketed to kids and young people, it's like those candy cigarettes they used to sell years ago.

Combining herbal stimulants with alcohol which is a depressant is just stupid. The last thing you want to train the kids to do is mix their uppers and downers.

[gollum]

I'm not arguing these are good products but doesen't the government have anything at all better to worry about?

[Sixstrings]

I'm not arguing these are good products but doesen't the government have anything at all better to worry about?

Well, that's pretty much what the FDA is SUPPOSED to worry about. They are the Food and Drug Administration. Before there was an FDA, there were all kinds of snakeoil patent medicine on the market -- some outright dangerous. There used to be patent medicine with cocaine in it, advertised to sooth a crying baby. Coca-Cola was originally a medicinal tonic, with real cocaine.

Without an FDA, you just can't trust business to do the right thing. My only criticism of the FDA is that it seems like they're too controlled by Big Pharma. Some dangerous prescription drugs got approved when they shouldn't have, like Vioxx and Fen-phen.

[gollum]

I'm not arguing these are good products but doesen't the government have anything at all better to worry about?

Well, that's pretty much what the FDA is SUPPOSED to worry about. They are the Food and Drug Administration. Before there was an FDA, there were all kinds of snakeoil patent medicine on the market -- some outright dangerous. There used to be patent medicine with cocaine in it, advertised to sooth a crying baby. Coca-Cola was originally a medicinal tonic, with real cocaine.

Without an FDA, you just can't trust business to do the right thing. My only criticism of the FDA is that it seems like they're too controlled by Big Pharma. Some dangerous prescription drugs got approved when they shouldn't have, like Vioxx and Fen-phen.

I guess I think if someone buys a drink with alcohol and caffeine it's pretty clear what the ingredients are on the label and both drugs have been around for quite a long time. At some point the consumer needs to take a little responsibility for his own choices. It just seems like a case of job justicifation on the part of the FDA, and distracts attention from exactly the issue you were speaking about big pharma control.

[Serial_Worrier]

It's obvious that some people can't stop themselves from taking uppers and downers at the same time, so we must nanny-state them. After all, I don't ever consume BAD things, so why should anybody else?

[Tanada]

What about all those adults out there drinking Rum & Coke cocktails?

[Serial_Worrier]

What about all those adults out there drinking Rum & Coke cocktails?

Coke doesn't have the caffeine level in Four Loko and similar drinks. It's all about potency. Nobody needs Four Loko, nobody.

[Dreamtwister]

I don't think the FDA is looking at the big picture, here. If tens of thousands of college-age kids kill themselves consuming this crap, doesn't that just mean we won't have to feed them...or worse, risk them realizing they are slaves and rising up against the government?

Then again, the ban has quadroupled sales of the stuff, so maybe they know exactly what they are doing.

I swear, I never used to be this cynical and suspicious...

[Sixstrings]

It's obvious that some people can't stop themselves from taking uppers and downers at the same time, so we must nanny-state them. After all, I don't ever consume BAD things, so why should anybody else?

Unfortunately, we must.

Not everyone is as bright as those of us on this forum. Believe it or not, a lot of folks actually believe advertising messages. Without the FDA people would be hopped up on everything from cocaine to morphine, thinking they're really taking "toothache drops" just like the label says:

[Tanada]

It's obvious that some people can't stop themselves from taking uppers and downers at the same time, so we must nanny-state them. After all, I don't ever consume BAD things, so why should anybody else?

Unfortunately, we must.

Not everyone is as bright as those of us on this forum. Believe it or not, a lot of folks actually believe advertising messages. Without the FDA people would be hopped up on everything from cocaine to morphine, thinking they're really taking "toothache drops" just like the label says

Not to sound overly harsh but, so what? Dumb people accidentally remove themselves from the gene pool all the time. It is not my responsibility to wrap them in bubble wrap and put them in a nice safe warm dry environment and keep them sanitary and cleaned up. They outnumber me by such a large proportion that I would not have enough time in my day to care for myself and even a few of them, and if you believe the government can then you are fooling yourself.