Klein Applauds Craigslist For Banning Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverage Ads From Their Website

NEW YORK, NY  – State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) has announced the successful removal and banning of advertisements for caffeinated alcoholic beverages from Craigslist after requesting the website remove the ads for the dangerous drinks. 

In December 2010, Senator Klein’s office conducted an undercover sting operation involving the purchase of nine Four Loko cans after seeing an advertisement under the ‘collectibles’ section on Craigslist.  Klein issued letters to the owners of Craigslist and eBay requesting for CABs not to be sold on their websites.

On January 11, 2011, Craigslist responded to Senator Klein’s request by taking down all ads for Four Loko nationwide, including two in New York State. In addition, Craigslist also searched for ads for other caffeinated alcoholic beverages, such as Moonshot, Joose and Core High Gravity. Craigslist says they do not condone the sale of alcoholic beverages on their pages, and include such products among those prohibited from being listed. 

“I applaud Craigslist for doing the right thing. Their decision to remove ads for these dangerous drinks goes a long way in helping save our teens from potentially devastating consequences to their health and their lives. Unfortunately, this beverage is still too easy and cheap to get in New York. My office is continuing to monitor the underground sale of  these deceptive cocktails on the Internet and will crackdown on those, who by trying to make a quick buck, are putting minors at risk," said State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester). 

Last month, one tri-state area beer distributor took  matters into his owns hands by planning to destroy $350,000 worth of Joose inventory from his warehouses. Senator Klein began the destruction process by pouring out cans of Joose and Four Loko at the Bronx beer distributor’s warehouse.  

In November 2010,  the New York State Liquor Authority and the New York State Beer Wholesalers Association forged a voluntary agreement from the state’s largest beer distributors to stop selling alcoholic energy drinks that contain caffeine and other stimulants. New York State’s beer distributors stepped up to the plate by agreeing to stop placing orders for AEDs.  They had until  December 10th to clear their inventory of the products, with retailers given additional time to sell off existing stock.  This agreement effectively puts a stop to sales of the beverage throughout the state. 

Klein was first alerted to the disturbing trend of teens consuming what has become known as "blackout in a can" in Summer 2010 when three teens in the Westchester portion of his district were rushed to emergency rooms after consuming Four Loko.