Posted on 03/22/2005 6:02:10 PM PST by Libloather
Distilled Spirits Council Urges Ban of Alcohol Vapor Devices; Senate Committee on Regulated Industries Hears Bill Today
Mon Mar 21,12:48 PM ET
To: State Desk
Contact: Sarah Rosen of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, 202-682-8840; Web: http://www.distilledspirits.org
WASHINGTON, March 21, /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Distilled Spirits Council today urged swift passage of legislation introduced in Florida banning "alcohol without liquid" (AWOL) devices that allow consumers to inhale alcohol by mixing alcohol with pure oxygen.
The bill, SB 794, sponsored by Senator Mike Haridopolos, would prohibit the sale or use of these devices and make its sale a misdemeanor. SB 794 is scheduled to be heard today before the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries today at 2:45 pm.
"We commend Senator Haridopolos for trying to keep these irresponsible devices out of Florida and we urge other states to do the same," said Dr. Peter Cressy, President of the Distilled Spirits Council. "The distilled spirits industry deplores any attempt to encourage reckless consumption of alcohol."
Cressy pointed to AWOL's company web site which calls the device "the ultimate party toy." The site states that this method of inhaling alcohol "reduces the effects of hangovers."
"Consumed responsibly and in moderation, beverage alcohol can be a normal, healthy adult lifestyle choice," said Cressy. "There is absolutely nothing responsible about these devices and they should be banned immediately."
The Distilled Spirits Council will provide written testimony to the Committee. A copy of the testimony follows.
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-- Testimony of David Wojnar, Vice President, Distilled Spirits Council Submitted to the Florida Senate Committee on Regulated Industries
March 21, 2005
I am writing to you on behalf of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a national trade association representing producers and marketers of distilled spirits sold in the United States, in support of SB 794, legislation to ban the Alcohol Without Liquid (AWOL) Machine.
The members of the Distilled Spirits Council are committed to fighting the irresponsible consumption of beverage alcohol. Through our sister organization, The Century Council, our members have invested over $130 million in programs and initiatives to encourage responsible decision-making and to fight abuse, including underage drinking and drunk driving. We have partnered with communities across Florida to achieve these common goals.
Through its website, the marketers of AWOL promote this device as the "ultimate party toy" and a way to reduce the effects of a hangover. This attempt to glorify reckless consumption is wrong and sends the wrong message. This type of practice and message is unacceptable. There is absolutely nothing responsible about the AWOL device and we urge swift passage of SB 794.
My lab skills are a bit dated. A molecular sieve wasn't common in labs in the mid-70's. The closest approximation was Sephadex gels used to separate salt solutions from larger proteins. The Sephadex gels cause a larger included volume to be experienced by smaller salt particles. Proteins zip on past the outside of the gels due to larger physical size. I usually finished the desalting process with reverse osmosis via semi-permeable membranes.
LOL! Actually that is a pretty good way to think of it. Only in a water softener, it is done by ion exchange and a mole sieve by size.
What is their beef? That they won't sell as much alcohol? Pathetic.
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