Students Want Four Loko to Stay

By Lauren Zdanis

EASTON, Mass- “Taste is bad the hangovers worse but the blackouts worth it” says Brian O’Reilly Sophomore of Stonehill College.

This is what is being said of the new Four Loko alcoholic- energy drink which college students are quickly finding a liking for.

Colleges including Boston College, Stonehill College, Harvard University, University of Rhode Island and Northeastern University are all giving students warning about the affects of this drink which has been referred to as “liquid cocaine”.

“I’ve seen a lot of kids chug them and they get really drunk. I think people should be a lot more responsible. I feel everyone just wants to drink them right now since there popular”, said Jared Hoffman of Stonehill College.

This popular party accessory packs about the same amount of caffeine as a 12-ounce coffee. It comes in a 23.5-ounce can and costs around $2.50. The drink also contains 12% alcohol which is equivalent to four or five beers.

Patrick Cadden, a freshman at University of Rhode Island said, “I mean I definitely don’t think they should be banned, look at the profit; it helps sell alcohol overall just because it’s bad doesn’t mean it should be banned but I also think their dangerous and people should be more aware of the risks”.

The drink, disguised with bright colors and fruity flavors, appears to be targeted at college aged students, especially with its low-cost. The tolerable taste and high alcohol content encourages binge drinking and causes some students to become dangerously drunk without even noticing.
Because of the caffeine, officials have said that mixing alcohol along with the caffeine can be dangerous since it masks the alcohol’s effects, giving drinkers a false sense of sobriety.

Liz Penta, senior at Assumption College, the only of age interviewee said that Four Loko “shouldn’t be banned because the only people that are abusing them are under 21 and these people are doing something illegal anyways by underage drinking”.

Although college campuses are trying to have their students avoid Four Loko, it is becoming a bigger issue since states such as Connecticut, New York, Michigan and California are trying to ban the drink.

Four loko is getting the message, however, since on Tuesday November 17th the company released a statement saying it would remove caffeine and other stimulants from all of its beverages, just hours after U.S. Senator Charles Schumer predicted the FDA warning on his website.

However, despite this change, Four Loko still remains a highly alcoholic drink, which when consumed quickly, has a real danger to students themselves as well as others.