AGs fear minors will binge on Blast
One can of new drink has 4.7 servings of alcohol
HARTFORD, Conn. – A new fruity alcoholic drink called “Blast” by Colt 45 packs so much kick that attorneys general from more than a dozen states are going after the Pabst Brewing Co. for what they call “binge drinking in a can.”
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen joined attorneys general in 15 other states – including Idaho and Washington – in writing a letter to Pabst urging the company to reduce the alcohol in a single-serving container to eliminate public safety risks. The attorneys general also urge Pabst to make sure the drink isn’t marketed to people who are under the legal drinking age of 21.
“The health risks pose a particular threat to youth, given that about 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by Americans under age 21 is while binge drinking,” Jepsen said.
Blast is sold in 23.5-ounce cans and has an alcohol concentration of 12 percent by volume, which is equal to 4.7 servings of alcohol. Tossing back a can in less than two hours qualifies as binge drinking by public health standards.
“Despite the company’s admonition to purchasers to drink responsibly, the product’s design promotes excessive consumption,” the attorneys general wrote in the letter.
Launched April 5, Blast is packaged in bright purple, red and blue cans and comes in flavor combinations such as strawberry-watermelon and blueberry-pomegranate.
The company hired rapper and hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg as a spokesman and it is running promotions on Twitter and Facebook.