Attorneys general from 16 states are urging the maker of Blast by Colt 45, a fruit-flavored malt beverage, to “eliminate the serious safety risks” presented by a product that they describe as a “binge-in-a-can.”
A 23.5-ounce can of Blast packs an alcohol by volume content of 12 percent, equivalent to almost five cans of beer. That, the attorneys general said in a letter to Pabst Brewing Co., amounts to a “binge drinking episode,” and is irresponsible — in part because many consumers may not realize that a single Blast could raise a person’s alcohol level above the legal driving limit.
As the WalletPop website reports, Pabst’s marketing campaign for Blast features rapper Snoop Dogg in its commercials. The attorneys general, noting the popularity of the performer among young people, are asking Pabst not only to reduce the alcohol content of Blast but also to “take steps to ensure that the marketing of this product does not expressly or impliedly target an audience that is under the legal drinking age.”
Maryland Atty. Gen. Douglas Gansler, who wrote the letter to Pabst, urged in a news release that other beverage companies that “produce these unsafe ‘supersized’ alcopops” also change their practices.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently declared binge drinking a major U.S. public health problem, accounting for more than half of the 79,000 annual alcohol-related deaths. It defines binge drinking as men drinking five, and women drinking four, or more alcohol servings in two hours.
Pabst said in a statement that it focuses its Blast marketing efforts “on conveying the message of drinking responsibly” and that the alcohol content of Blast “is clearly marked on its packaging.”
