The College Fix

…public panic and overzealous regulators. The ensuing concoction is more damaging than any amount of Four Loko, and the hangover is worse, too.

In a piece for The Daily Caller, I summarized the dreadful chain of events that doomed alcoholic energy drinks, while simultaneously increasing their appeal among younger drinkers:

Retailers in Michigan have 30 days to liquidate 55 drinks from their shelves, during which time plenty of college-aged kids will surely want to try “blackout in a can” for themselves. The controversy only makes these types of drinks more appealing to those who haven’t tried them. And even if obtaining Four Loko becomes impossible, aren’t students capable of mixing caffeine and alcohol on their own?

The anti-Four Loko hysteria has succeeded, at least for the time being. But the panic is baseless, no matter how many people have fallen for it. State and federal lawmakers should bring Prohibitionist liquor agencies under control and rescind the various bans. It is regulators, not college students, who should be forced to sober up.

Over at The Huffington Post, David Katz offered a wildly inaccurate characterization of the dreaded drink as evidence of the wisdom of the ban:

Combining alcohol and caffeine is — in one word — crazy. Don’t do it! It has an excellent chance of hurting you, and a fairly good chance of killing you. Recent news reports feature tragic victims of this deadly duo. As the companies and federal authorities decide what to do, you can make up your own mind to steer clear of this bad brew.

Reason’s Jacob Sullum disproved his crazy arguments here.

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter