"Cocaine" Drink Pulled From Shelves
WASHINGTON -- The energy drink Cocaine, made by Las Vegas-based Redux Beverages, LLC, was removed from retail shelves by the company, as federal agencies have concerns over its name, and the manufacturer was worried about possible legal action, The Associated Press reported.
However, the beverage might not be gone for long, as Clegg Ivey, partner in Redux Beverages, told the AP the company plans to sell the drink under a new name for now.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not order the company to stop marketing the drink, but officials were concerned about possible legal action, Ivey said. A new name will be revealed within a week and the company hopes to have the product back on store shelves within a few weeks.
Last month, the FDA issued a warning that stated Redux was illegally marketing the drink as an alternative to a street drug and a dietary supplement. May 4 was the deadline for the company to respond, the report stated.
The FDA used the drink's labeling and Web site -- which included the statements "Speed in a Can," "Liquid Cocaine" and "Cocaine -- Instant Rush" -- as evidence. The company stated that Cocaine contains no drugs and is marketed as an energy drink, according to the report. It has been sold since last August in at least a dozen states.
"Of course, we intended for Cocaine energy drink to be a legal alternative the same way that celibacy is an alternative to premarital sex," Ivey told the AP. "It's not the same thing and no one thinks it is. Our product doesn't have any cocaine in it. No one thinks that it does. We think it is most likely legal in the United States to ship our product."
Recently, attorneys general in Connecticut and Illinois announced that the company agreed to stop marketing Cocaine there, while a judge in Texas halted distribution in the state.
"What we would like to do is continue to fight to keep the name because it's clearly the name that's the problem," he added. "What we can't do is distribute our product when regulators in the states and the FDA are saying that if you do this, you could go to jail."
However, lawmakers in those states do not want Cocaine or anything like it in their states.
"Our goal is to literally flush Cocaine down the drain across the nation," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said when the agreement was reached on Monday. "Our main complaint about Cocaine is its name and marketing strategy seeking to glorify illegal drug use and exploit the allure of marketing 'Speed in a Can,' as it called the product."
However, the beverage might not be gone for long, as Clegg Ivey, partner in Redux Beverages, told the AP the company plans to sell the drink under a new name for now.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not order the company to stop marketing the drink, but officials were concerned about possible legal action, Ivey said. A new name will be revealed within a week and the company hopes to have the product back on store shelves within a few weeks.
Last month, the FDA issued a warning that stated Redux was illegally marketing the drink as an alternative to a street drug and a dietary supplement. May 4 was the deadline for the company to respond, the report stated.
The FDA used the drink's labeling and Web site -- which included the statements "Speed in a Can," "Liquid Cocaine" and "Cocaine -- Instant Rush" -- as evidence. The company stated that Cocaine contains no drugs and is marketed as an energy drink, according to the report. It has been sold since last August in at least a dozen states.
"Of course, we intended for Cocaine energy drink to be a legal alternative the same way that celibacy is an alternative to premarital sex," Ivey told the AP. "It's not the same thing and no one thinks it is. Our product doesn't have any cocaine in it. No one thinks that it does. We think it is most likely legal in the United States to ship our product."
Recently, attorneys general in Connecticut and Illinois announced that the company agreed to stop marketing Cocaine there, while a judge in Texas halted distribution in the state.
"What we would like to do is continue to fight to keep the name because it's clearly the name that's the problem," he added. "What we can't do is distribute our product when regulators in the states and the FDA are saying that if you do this, you could go to jail."
However, lawmakers in those states do not want Cocaine or anything like it in their states.
"Our goal is to literally flush Cocaine down the drain across the nation," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said when the agreement was reached on Monday. "Our main complaint about Cocaine is its name and marketing strategy seeking to glorify illegal drug use and exploit the allure of marketing 'Speed in a Can,' as it called the product."