Nine freshmen at Central Washington University were hospitalized after attending an off campus party on October 8. The incident led college officials to ban the product from campus and prompted the Washington State Attorney General to call for the ban of the product.

The students became violently ill and passed out after consuming Four Loko, an alcoholic beverage containing twelve percent alcohol and caffeine. According to one report, consuming three of these drinks is equivalent to 18 beers.  Sources state that the blood alcohol content of the students ranged from 0.12 to 0.35 percent.

Phusion Projects, Inc. of Chicago is the manufacturer of the product. MSNBC reported that this was not the first time Four Loko has caused hospitalizations.

MSNBC reported that:

Last month, 23 intoxicated students were hospitalized over the span of a few weeks at northern New Jersey’s Ramapo College after drinking Four Loko, prompting the college’s president to institute a ban. Another four students got sick in New York, university officials said.

The Governor of Washington attempted to have the legislature pass a bill last year banning all caffeinated malt liquors, but the measure was unsuccessful.

Despite the controversy, Four Lokos maintains that there is more to the story than portrayed by the media. 

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