Sorry, folks: powdered alcohol isn't legal in the US just yet
We hope you weren't planning on inhaling indulging in powdered alcohol this fall -- it looks like the US government was a little too hasty in giving the dry drink the A-OK. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau tells CNN that it approved Lipsmark's upcoming Palcohol "in error." As to why? Lipsmark says that there was a "discrepancy" as to the levels of powder in each bag, and that it had to resubmit the labels for approval. It doesn't have a new launch window, but it sees the feds' change of heart as just a temporary setback.
However, beverage-focused attorney Robert Behrman believes there may be more to the story. In an interview with the Associated Press, the lawyer noted that it's odd for regulators to mess up when greenlighting labels, which usually come at the end of a thorough screening process. He suspects that politicians want more details about the powder before it goes on sale, and that a convenient label mistake would give lawmakers the chance they want. Whether or not there's any merit to that theory, it looks like you'll have to get your buzz from old-fashioned liquid for now.
[Image credit: Gavin Schaefer, Flickr]
