Four Loko is Loco

The party is over for Loko. At least, it’s the end of the drink as we know it, and the decision doesn’t bother me. The malt-liquor based concoction contains up to 12 percent alcohol and comes in eight fruity flavors. One 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko contains roughly the equivalent of six standard servings of alcohol and five cups of coffee. A University Health Services administrator called Four Loko “badness in a can,” and that describes it perfectly. While some argue that colleges have no right to ban alcoholic, caffeinated energy drinks from campuses, I believe that this is exactly what they should be doing. With the health risks involved, it is no wonder that whole states are forbidding the sale of the dangerous drink.

Four Loko’s combination of caffeine and alcohol can be deceptively dangerous. This constitution means the drink contains both a depressant and a stimulant; the high one receives from caffeine can veil how much alcohol is inside. Students don’t realize how much they really have had to drink, because the caffeine masks many of the signs they are used to feeling. Therefore, students may keep drinking more of this beverage, not feelings its effects or realizing they are intoxicated.

Many college students around the country have required medical treatment in connection with consuming Four Loko. There have even been connections between a recent teenage death and the drink. At other schools, hospitalizations have led to the banning of the beverage by university officials. As cited in The Crimson, Ramapo College of New Jersey outlawed Four Loko after 23 students were hospitalized for alcohol-related reasons. Additionally, Central Washington University banned alcoholic energy drinks after nine freshmen were hospitalized from drinking Four Loko at a party.

It is clear this drink is aimed at college-age students. Chris Hunter, Jason Freeman, and Jeff Wright, the three Ohio State students who developed Four Loko, told The Columbus Dispatch that they got the idea for the drink after noticing that students were mixing alcohol and caffeine in bars. They then began the manufacturer Phusion LLC and began selling 23-ounce cans of Four Loko at stores around the college. In fact, many adults did not hear about this beverage until bans started to be issued. At around $3 a can, it is the cheapest way for students to start their parties off in the manner they want. As a USC student told The Daily Trojan, “It’s definitely a popular drink among my friends, partly because it’s so low-priced for the amount of alcohol it contains.”

It causes not only heath concerns but social ones as well. One Facebook page dedicated to the drink posts the warning, “You will remember absolutely nothing in the morning, (you) probably acted like a slut, and possibly tried to fight someone. It's a Four Loko thing...” It seems utterly nonsensical that students continue to drink the beverage despite the consequences. Some Harvard students sent out emails over personal and open lists asking if anyone wanted to stock up on Four Loko before the Massachusetts ban was enforced. Despite this effort, it has actually become hard to find the beverage anywhere recently. However, it is easy to spot who has had their hands on the drink at the recent parties I have attended. Generally, these are the people that brag about having the beverage and then make a fool of themselves: dancing on tables, making out with random people, taking off their clothes, and more. Its unofficial slogan, said Charles Schelle at The Ball State Daily News, is “horny, hyper, and happy.”

The misuse of Four Loko shows once again that American teenagers are not responsible enough to consume alcoholic beverages safely. Even here at Harvard, students are refusing to see the dangers of consuming Four Loko and its repercussions. The alcoholic beverage with a caffeine kick briefly captured the hearts—and livers—of America's youth, and it needed to be stopped.

Shadai Graham ’14, a Crimson editorial comper, is a government concentrator in Mather House.