Txbroadcaster
05-02-2007, 02:21 PM
The Texas attorney general’s office obtained a court order Wednesday stopping the sale of an energy drink known as “Cocaine.”
The makers of Cocaine say their beverage is like “speed in a can,” a “legal alternative” to street drugs and may cause “excess excitement, stamina, fun and possible feelings of euphoria.”
The brand name is spelled out in white powder. And the company advertises on MySpace to target young adults.
State officials say the advertisements amount to marketing an unapproved drug, violating the Texas Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. The drink has also faced action from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Connecticut attorney general’s office.
Redux Beverages, which makes Cocaine, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The crackdown also halts the distribution of 150,000 cans waiting in three warehouses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — Kimball Distributing of Arlington, Import Warehouse of Dallas and Texas Wholesale Venture of Dallas.
“It’s getting hard for us to know what to buy what not to buy,” said Mike Wazirali, vice president of Texas Wholesale Venture. “We respect their decision and everything, but we just would like to have some sort of notice ahead of time so we can educate our customers.”
Dallas-based 7-Eleven voluntarily pulled Cocaine its from shelves in October after getting complaints from parents about the drink’s name
The makers of Cocaine say their beverage is like “speed in a can,” a “legal alternative” to street drugs and may cause “excess excitement, stamina, fun and possible feelings of euphoria.”
The brand name is spelled out in white powder. And the company advertises on MySpace to target young adults.
State officials say the advertisements amount to marketing an unapproved drug, violating the Texas Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. The drink has also faced action from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Connecticut attorney general’s office.
Redux Beverages, which makes Cocaine, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The crackdown also halts the distribution of 150,000 cans waiting in three warehouses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — Kimball Distributing of Arlington, Import Warehouse of Dallas and Texas Wholesale Venture of Dallas.
“It’s getting hard for us to know what to buy what not to buy,” said Mike Wazirali, vice president of Texas Wholesale Venture. “We respect their decision and everything, but we just would like to have some sort of notice ahead of time so we can educate our customers.”
Dallas-based 7-Eleven voluntarily pulled Cocaine its from shelves in October after getting complaints from parents about the drink’s name