By Alyssa Scott
KU Statehouse Wire Service
TOPEKA – Although powdered alcohol is considered legal according to recent federal regulation, the Kansas House passed a ban on the sale and service of it during the Wednesday session with a preliminary vote of 67-53.
House Bill 2208 defines powdered alcohol as “alcohol that is prepared in a powdered or crystal form for either direct use or for reconstitution in a nonalcoholic liquid.”
The Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade bureau approved the sale of Palcohol, a brand of powdered alcohol, earlier this month. According to the brand’s website, it will be sold in pouches of powder that are equivalent to one shot of alcohol.
HB 2208 was introduced in February, and the House Federal and State Affairs Committee recommended that this legislation be passed.
At the committee hearing on the bill, representatives from Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Kansas Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association and the Kansas Licensed Beverage Association spoke in support of the bill. These proponents questioned the safety of powdered alcohol and the potential for minors to use it.
There were no neutral or opponent testimonies on the bill.
Although there were no opponent testimonies at the committee hearing, Rep. Brett Hildabrand (R-Shawnee) spoke out against the bill on his Twitter account after the ban passed, saying he voted against HB 2208 because the legislature should not attack free market products such as alcohol.
Rep. Joseph Scapa (R-Wichita) voted in favor of HB 2208 and expressed concerns about the potential dangers of powdered alcohol. Scapa said powdered alcohol is “unpredictable,” and he said people could consume it by snorting the powder or sprinkling it on food.
The Palcohol website said snorting the product “really burns. Imagine sniffing liquid vodka. Second, it’s impractical. It takes approximately 60 minutes to snort the equivalent of one shot of vodka.”
According to a fiscal note from the Kansas Department of Revenue, the bill would have no fiscal effect on the agency.
Alyssa Scott is a University of Kansas junior from Wichita majoring in journalism and French.