Comptroller Peter Franchot said Wednesday that the state's alcoholic beverage distributors have agreed to a voluntary ban on the sale of powdered alcohol — a substance that can be dissolved in water to create a potent drink.
Franchot said he sent a letter to the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association, Maryland Beer Wholesalers Association and the Licensed Beverage Distributors of Maryland requesting that they adopt the ban and that they had agreed. The comptroller, the state's chief alcohol regulator, said the substance can too easily be abused by minors. He said it can also be used to increase the alcoholic strength of liquor to dangerous levels.
The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau recently approved the sale of the product known as Palcohol, which had been expected to be distributed nationwide this summer. Legislators in both the Maryland Senate and the House have recently introduced bills calling for a moratorium on its sale.
Del. Dan K. Morhaim, a Baltimore County Democrat who sponsored one of the bills, praised the comptroller's effort and the industry's action. "It's the responsible thing to do," he said.
Morhaim said he will press forward with his legislation with Franchot's support.