If current trends keep up, the nation’s love affair with Four Loko could soon be over.
Washington state’s liquor control board banned the beverage Wednesday just a month after nine Central Washington University students were hospitalized with blood alcohol concentrations of .12 to .35 after consuming a quantity of Lokos.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, Gov. Christine Gregoire called the alcoholic energy drink “blackout in a can” and expressed concern over Four Loko’s marketing.
“In my experience, it’s no different than the kind of appeal Joe Camel had to our kids when it came to cigarettes,” Gregoire said in the P-I’s report, making reference to the longtime mascot for Camel cigarettes.
The ban will take effect Nov. 18.