Posted on 04/25/2010 5:27:25 AM PDT by fightinJAG
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control began sending underage operatives into stores in the 1990s in an attempt to buy alcohol, usually beer.
But in the past year, they began targeting another beverage: alcoholic energy drinks.
The rising popularity of the drinks with teens fueled the change, said Robert Simmons Jr., an ABC special agent. They pose a special problem because they look like their non alcoholic counterparts, making them easy to slip past distracted or uninformed cashiers and fool parents and sometimes even police, he said. But with as much caffeine as several cups of coffee and twice as much alcohol as beer, they can be dangerous in the hands of teenagers, Simmons added.
"We're starting to see young people who are starting to get hurt," he said, "whether it's a car accident or where they're OD'ing. Too much of any drink can be harmful. Too much caffeine can be harmful."
Alcoholic energy drinks are not new. They started showing up in stores in early 2005. But the issue was brought home recently when police linked an alcoholic energy drink to the March 7 death of a Virginia Beach teen.
Investigators say one of the beverages played a role in the early morning car crash that killed passenger Joseph "Joey" Fonseca, 16. The driver, another 16-year-old, is now facing charges of drunken driving and involuntary manslaughter. The teens were good friends and teammates on the Kempsville High School varsity baseball team, friends said.
(Excerpt) Read more at hamptonroads.com ...
Too much WATER can kill ya, too.
Nothing worse than a wide-awake drunk, LOL!
Did you even read the article?
Yes. I did. :) I’m against alcohol and energy drinks for teens.
That would be tequila...and I agree wholeheartedly.
As I get older and further and further behind, I find yet another incident. Alcoholic energy drinks. Who’d a thunk it?
I can see the lawsuits for the death of a rock climber brought by his mother. Or maybe a rampaging young linebacker killed a quarterback or an octogenarian who broke her hip after going on a binge and abandoning her walker.
On demand intoxication with artificial energy is a disaster waiting to happen.
All it takes is a register prompt.. check ID. Should be no big deal.
These ‘sting buys’ seem to be a favorite of the perpetually-bored police and fodder for local newsrags who delight in identifying the ‘evil’ carryout stores and wring their hands over demon rum. A case could be made for entrapment but when has that stopped the police?
As usual huge amounts of time, energy and manpower go into stopping ‘crimes’ that affect the smallest number of people (see also: DUI checkpoints that stop 500 vehicles and net 2 arrests). In fact, without the sting transaction being initiated there would be NO ‘crime’ to bravely stop!
Of course, none of this will stop the PR-addicted police who love their dog and pony shows but can’t be arsed to deal with your house being burgled.
What’s the point of these drinks? Counteracting a stimulant with a depressant? Why?
In the evening, maybe . . . but in the morning?
It’s like cranking the heat and AC at the same time and letting the two battle it out.
Because you can run faster, jump higher.....and feel remorse.
Sounds like a great idea. Vodka and Red Bull is a very popular dink. Some capitalist discovered a niche (by combining the 2 in a single product) and is profiting from it.
This is bogus. When I go to the grocery self checkout with wine, the order is frozen until someone verifies. Or if the clerk is underage, someone else has to come and "sell" me the wine.
This is a simple technology fix.
They need to modernize their registers. Around here when a clerk scans alcohol or tobacco, the register asks them "is the customer of legal age".
Grandma’s Off Her Rocker!
In the dim and distant past,
When life’s tempo wasn’t fast,
Grandma used to rock and knit,
Crochet, tat and baby sit.
When we were in a jam,
We could always count on gram.
In the age of gracious living,
Grandma’s life was one of giving.
BUT TODAY....
Now grandma’s at the gym,
Exercising to keep slim,
She’s off touring with the bunch,
Or taking all her friends to lunch.
Driving north to fish or hike,
Taking time to ride her bike.
Nothing seems to block or stop her,
Now that grandma’s off her rocker.
Author Unknown
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