The manufacturers of the drinks, sometimes called “blackout in a can,” have 15 days to decide to remove caffeine or discontinue production of the drinks.
The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Liquor Control has taken the restriction one step further by requesting manufacturers to stop selling the drinks — which contain as much as 12 percent alcohol and a cup of coffee’s worth of caffeine in one 23½-ounce can sold for less than $3 — in Ohio.
Phusion Projects LLC, the maker of Four Loko and the supplier of United Brands Company Inc.’s Joose, agreed to stop the Ohio distribution of their products, which are sold in more than 100 locations in the Dayton area.
News of the ban wasn’t a shock to students on local college campuses where the drinks have become popular. Rumors have been swirling for weeks about an imminent ban.
“People have been talking about stocking up,” said University of Dayton senior Ryan Singler.
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