On December 21, Ramiro Diaz was arrested for selling eight cans of Four Loko to an undercover agent from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Diaz faces up to a year in jail for the offense, but just a few months ago Four Loko was perfectly legal. What happened? The drink had been the subject of many media reports which suggested that Four Loko’s mixture of alcohol and caffeine causes young people to engage in risky behavior. The drink was even dubbed “Blackout in a Can,” and the story soon moved from newsrooms to Congress, where officials like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) demanded that it be pulled from shelves. “We must protect children from the severe and deadly consequences of drinks like Four Loko,” declared Schumer. The Food and Drug Administration agreed, and in November federal regulators banned Four Loko. The company promised to yank it from shelves by December and replace it with a decaffeinated version. So do drinks like Four Loko pose a unique danger to America’s youth or is this episode more proof that that mixing media and politics can be hazardous to your freedom? “Why the Feds Banned Four Loko” is written and produced by Paul Detrick. Camera by Alex Manning, Hawk Jensen and Jim Epstein. Senior Producer is Ted Balaker. Music by Beight, DJ Cary, CrimsonFaced and Sophia Marie (Magnatune Records). Approximately 3:30 minutes. Go to reason.tv for iPod, HD, and audio versions of this and all our videos, and subscribe to Reason.tv’s YouTube channel …
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Why the Feds Banned Four Loko (And is your favorite drink next?)
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#1 by PissedFechtmeister on July 27th, 2011
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Schumer needs killing.
#2 by asrtosfan1979 on July 27th, 2011
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This drink is great, its the people that consume it irrisponsibly is what is disgusting.
#3 by curiositytoxicat on July 27th, 2011
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prohibition.
its not the drink its the people consuming it, regardless of age.
#4 by MoobysnaxPercussion on July 27th, 2011
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I’ve seen more people go to the hospital because of triple C than four loco
#5 by egyptiansareblack26 on July 27th, 2011
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there is nothing wrong with four loko, it’s the people who drink them, like down here in florida, this 18 year old girl bought a four loko got drunk, and got behind the wheel, and got into a accident. THAT’S HER FAULT!!! she knew she was too young to drink in the 1st place, and she knew better than to drive drunk. It was her own stupidity that cost her her hand. now she trying to sue the makers of four loko. SHE’S A DUMB BITCH.
#6 by madmike12121 on July 27th, 2011
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The drink is quite powerful, but its not hoping down peoples mouths by itself. The problem is pressure from so called friends and all those people that think chugging these things will make them look cool. If your gonna drink, take it slow and dont be an idiot. Personally i think this drink tastes like shit.
#7 by cabit88 on July 27th, 2011
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the government is a big ass fag and should not be involved in our life! we should kick them out of the united states!
#8 by skorpionsks on July 27th, 2011
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YEAH YOU WANNA BAN VODKA? OR WHISKEY? HOW ABOUT BEER? Fucking assholes.
#9 by MegaDfort32 on July 27th, 2011
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@Pads41 because they don’t want us to go loko, I’m drinking sum rite now
#10 by pads41 on July 27th, 2011
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Why doesnt the gov’t. ban fast food as well since people can get heart disease from eating it? And while they’re at it, why doesn’t the gov’t ban the sale of alcohol and cigarettes since they can cause health problems too. Why doesn’t the gov’t just butt out and let us figure it out for ourselves.
#11 by TheoHeretical on July 27th, 2011
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@wespayne67 “Fill Me Up” by Beight.
#12 by cpscsoccer13 on July 27th, 2011
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Mind you, all these kids at CWU were underage, wouldn’t that be the problem to look at?
#13 by wespayne67 on July 27th, 2011
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Does anybody know what the song is called at the end of this vid?
I can remember, and its been driving me crazy!
#14 by 0O00OO0O00OO0O00OO on July 27th, 2011
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You know it’s dangerous when the label on the can makes you SOOO HAPPPPPYY when you see it like I did just there AAAAWW I miss my Four Loko soooo baaaaaad pleeeeaaase come back in this lifetime pleeeeeeeeeease
#15 by Djquecumber on July 27th, 2011
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Four Loko doesn’t have caffeine in it anymore. The government should protect us from the rapists and thieves and shit, and stop babysitting us. We have minds and can make our own decisions.
#16 by detox4u on July 27th, 2011
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I want daddy Schumer and the Nanny state to run my life, thank you for making decisions for me government nanny guru’s. You’re improving all our life’s with your wisdom and judgment, what need we have for personal decisions with you as our leaders? – None I say!
#17 by VanB13 on July 27th, 2011
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fuck u jackob sallomon! lol
#18 by rambo321 on July 27th, 2011
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i just bought 4loko from 7eleven
#19 by Wargoat6 on July 27th, 2011
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Since when were the press designated moral guardians? How are they any better?
#20 by sicknes96701 on July 27th, 2011
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Four loko is the sheet
#21 by Schwarze999 on July 27th, 2011
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@DyeTyme guns is a god given right
#22 by ZooKing13 on July 27th, 2011
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FDA=DICTATOR IDEOLOGY
#23 by Mr420ways on July 27th, 2011
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the peeps that drink it are mental allready….whats the big wow about caffien and booze??? ever drink coffe and beer it sucks..ha ha ha
#24 by flow72791 on July 27th, 2011
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So 4lokos are getting banned cuz a few people have died? AND cigarrettes have killed millionsssss WTF
#25 by ssnum4 on July 27th, 2011
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Well done, stay the hell out of my life Schumer, I like trans fat, I like using more than one square of toilet paper, I like my light bulbs, I like my heat/AC around 70, I’ve never had four look nor do I smoke, but if you are an adult and you want to, u should be able to make your own free decisions.