Mixing Alcohol With Stimulants

(A Devastating Proposition)

Attorneys general from 25 states (see below) are calling on MillerCoors to abandon its plan to introduce a new alcoholic energy drink called Sparks Red.

States in opposition to the product launch are: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

“MillerCoor’s decision to sell Sparks Red defies undeniable evidence from medical and public health professionals about the dangers of mixing alcohol with stimulants in energy drinks,” the attorneys general wrote in a letter of MillerCoors.

College students who mix alcohol and energy drinks engage in increased heavy drinking and have twice as many episodes of weekly drunkenness, according to Wake Forest University research. Students who reported consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks also had significantly higher prevalence of sexual assault and injury.

Sparks Red contains as much as eight percent (8%) alcohol by volume, a significant increase over the alcohol content found in other alcoholic energy drinks.

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a lawsuit over the alcoholic energy drink, arguing it encourages binge drinking, underage drinking, drunken driving and sexual assaults. The nonprofit seeks to stop the brewer from selling the drink.