Pubdate: Tue, 03 Oct 2006
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2006 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Sewell Chan

LAWMAKERS SCOLD MAKER OF 'COCAINE' DRINK

Outraged New York City lawmakers denounced the manufacturer of a new, 
highly caffeinated soft drink called Cocaine yesterday and called for 
a boycott of the beverage, saying it glamorized an illegal and deadly 
stimulant that has ravaged families and neighborhoods since the 
epidemic of the 1980's.

"There are only two reasons that you would seek to use this infamous 
and insidious name to market your so-called energy drink," said 
Councilman James Sanders Jr. of Queens, who organized a news 
conference at City Hall. "Either you are woefully ignorant of the 
horrors of cocaine addiction, or your god is the dollar bill, and not 
even human life is more sacred."

The beverage has attracted considerable publicity, most of it 
negative, since it was introduced last month by its manufacturer, 
Redux Beverages L.L.C., in southern California. The company's Web 
site lists five retailers that sell the beverage -- all of them in or 
around New York City. It is also available in Los Angeles and San Diego.

While the site states that "we don't advocate drug use," it suggests 
that the carbonated beverage be mixed with alcohol -- offering 
recipes for cocktails with names like Liquid Cocaine, Cocaine Smash, 
Cocaine Blast and even Cocaine Snort. The site promotes the 
beverage's page on MySpace, the heavily trafficked social-networking 
Internet site that is popular among children and teenagers.

Experts on drug use and nutrition condemned the beverage.

Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman and president of the National Center 
on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, used five 
adjectives -- insidious, disgraceful, irresponsible, reprehensible 
and disgusting -- to describe the drink.

In a statement, Mr. Califano, who was secretary of health, education 
and welfare in the Carter administration, said it was "clearly aimed 
at children and teen 'partygoers.' "

The beverage is a competitor with so-called energy drinks like Red 
Bull. According to the Cocaine site (drinkcocaine.com), the beverage, 
sold in 8.4-ounce cans, has three times more caffeine per ounce than 
Red Bull and similar beverages like Rockstar Juiced, Full Throttle, 
Monster Energy and Bawls.

"This is a salted, heavily caffeinated, sugary drink with extra 
calories that nobody needs," said Marion Nestle, a professor of 
nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, 
after reviewing the nutritional label on the Cocaine beverage. "It's 
a souped-up Gatorade. This product has minimal nutritional value."

Redux Beverages, founded by James T. and Hannah H. Kirby, is 
registered in Las Vegas and located in Murrieta, Calif.

Mr. Kirby, 42, a former software executive who was in New York City 
yesterday to promote his product, said in a telephone interview, "I 
think most people are smart, and they know the difference between an 
energy drink and a Class A narcotic." He said of the name, "There's a 
lot of irony and wordplay."

The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif., quoted Mr. Kirby last 
month as saying, "I chose the name because I knew it would be 
controversial, and controversy sells." He said the criticism was 
coming from "super-right-wing groups" and added, "I think kids are a 
lot smarter than people give them credit for."

But at the City Hall news conference, Mr. Sanders and three other 
lawmakers -- all Democrats -- offered withering criticism.

"This is the height of irresponsibility for any company," said 
Assemblyman Karim Camara of Brooklyn.

Councilwoman Letitia James of Brooklyn called the beverage "a legal 
precursor to an illegal product," while Councilman Larry B. Seabrook 
of the Bronx likened it to "imitation cigarettes, which caused 
generations upon generations to become smokers."

They called on the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and 
the Department of Consumer Affairs to investigate the safety of the 
beverage, but the authority to do so may be limited. Professor Nestle 
said that because the energy drinks had been billed as dietary 
supplements rather than food items, they had eluded regulation by the 
federal Food and Drug Administration.

Whether the calls for a boycott will be heeded is unclear. Rupert 
Jee, owner of Hello Deli in Midtown, one of the five retailers listed 
on the Cocaine Web site, said, "They did, in fact, list our name 
without authorization." But Mr. Jee said he was inclined to continue 
selling the beverage. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake