News Release
11/13/2009
Edmondson Applauds FDA Review of Alcohol Energy Drinks
Attorney General Drew Edmondson today applauded a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement that it plans to look into the safety and legality of caffeinated alcoholic drinks. Edmondson and a group of his colleagues earlier this year requested the review.
Alcoholic energy drinks (AEDs) are a class of alcoholic beverages to which caffeine and other stimulants are added at the point of manufacture. In late September, the attorneys general asked FDA commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, to examine whether the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages is considered under FDA regulations to be “generally recognized as safe.”
Edmondson said the group’s letter to Hamburg stressed the public health and safety risks associated with the consumption of AEDs.
“Most concerning are studies that show caffeine appears to mask the intoxicating effects of alcohol, but not reduce the drinker’s level of intoxication,” Edmondson said. “People who consume these drinks often do not realize how intoxicated they are. This can lead drinkers to underestimate the drinks’ influence on their motor skills and judgement.”
Last year, under scrutiny from a group of states including Oklahoma, MillerCoors Brewing and Anheuser-Busch, Inc. stopped production of these types of beverages, but other manufacturers have filled the void.
Edmondson joined 18 other jurisdictions in seeking the FDA review announced today.