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Palcohol Approved, Creator Tries to Stop State Bans

DENVER (CBS4) – The creator of the controversial powdered alcohol product called Palcohol says federal regulators have "given him the green light" to sell his product in the U.S.

In a statement Palcohol's creator Mark Phillips told CBS4 his "next challenge is trying to stop the states from banning it based on misinformation and ignorant speculation."

RELATED: Powdered Alcohol Gets Federal Agency's Approval

Before the product was approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Colorado lawmakers introduced a bill to ban powdered alcohol over concerns including abuse by minors and whether Palcohol's light weight would make it easy to sneak into public events.

Palcohol would come in a pouch with water being added to the powder inside for the equivalent of an alcoholic drink.

RELATED STORIES: Powdered Alcohol Story Archive

The status of the Colorado bill is now uncertain. Some lawmakers would prefer to tax Palcohol like alcohol instead of banning the product outright.

Phillips says banning Palcohol would create a black market for the product and deny the State's tax revenue.

"While several states had a knee-jerk reaction and banned it early on, we see the tide is shifting and legislators are becoming more informed," he said.

A statement on the Palcohol website says the company hopes to have the product for sale this summer.

Mark Ackerman is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. Follow him on Twitter @ackermanmark

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