Stock Up On Sparks and Joose! – Alcoholic Energy Drinks Banned in California!
December 18, 2008 by Johnny California
Filed under Jerry Brown
We just got an email from AG Jerry Brown’s office proclaiming a “settlement” reached with MillerCoors over alcohol-based energy drinks, specifically Sparks. The settlement? They banned alcohol-based energy drinks. Why? Because according to the AG, Sparks makes kids go nutso. Huh? Did anyone even know this was a problem? Is this a problem? Is this what the AG should be working on? Sure, Sparks and Joose taste horrendous, but it’s not like it’s a speedball in a can. This is not a threat to young people. If you want to ban something truly dangerous, start with high-fructose corn syrup.
Anyway, get your Sparks and Joose while you still can, because this stuff is going away.
Here’s the announcement:
California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that 13 states and the City of San Francisco have forged an agreement with MillerCoors to stop “the growing and widespread use” of caffeine-spiked alcoholic beverages, often marketed to young adults.
“With this agreement, we’re shutting down 90% of the market in caffeine-spiked alcoholic beverages,” said Attorney General Brown. “The growing and widespread use of caffeine mixed with alcohol can distort judgment, weaken inhibitions and encourage risky behavior, especially in young people.” Brown added.
Alcoholic energy drinks mix alcohol with ingredients like caffeine, guarana, taurine or ginseng. The alcoholic content in these drinks range from 6-12% per volume, more than most beers. Together, the stimulating effect of caffeine in the beverage mixed with the alcohol can mask how intoxicated the drinker actually is. A drinker may feel alert, but will still suffer the debilitating effects of alcohol consumption, including diminished reaction times and basic motor skills.
Sparks currently has 90% of the market share for alcoholic energy drinks. Last June, Attorney General Brown and other attorneys general announced that Anheuser-Busch had signed an agreement to stop producing its alcoholic energy drinks. With today’s agreement, most of the alcoholic energy drinks that were available in the beginning of the year will now be taken off the market. California and the other states will continue to investigate the smaller companies that continue to sell alcoholic energy drinks.
Young people are most vulnerable to the effects of alcoholic energy drinks like Sparks because they are prone to engage in risky behaviors such as binge-drinking and are less experienced in gauging the debilitating effects of alcohol. They are also more at risk of acute alcohol problems, including traffic crashes, violence, sexual assault, and suicide.
A study by researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that students who consumed alcoholic energy beverages were twice as likely to be involved in alcohol-related accidents and injuries. They were also more likely to be involved in sexual assaults or drunk driving.
After an investigation into the product, Attorney General Brown and the participating attorneys general alleged that Sparks was unsafe, MillerCoors was making false or misleading health-related statements about Sparks’ energizing effects, and much of the marketing was directed toward youth, a violation of California laws on marketing tobacco or alcoholic products to minors.
But get this…MillerCoors is trying to say that Sparks will still exist, it’ll just be uh–different. From the company’s press release:
MillerCoors today said it has reached an agreement with a coalition of state attorneys general to voluntarily reformulate Sparks to remove caffeine, taurine, guarana and ginseng from the product. The brewer also agreed not to produce caffeinated alcohol beverages in the future.
OK, but if they remove the caffeine, taurine, guarana and ginseng from Sparks is it still Sparks? Isn’t it just malt liquor at that point? We’re confused.
MillerCoors, says that despite what the AG claims they weren’t doing anything wrong: Form the company’s press release:
While the formulation, labeling, marketing and selling of Sparks was approved by federal regulatory authorities numerous times, the company decided to reformulate the product based on concerns expressed by the attorneys general.
…[T]he agreement with the attorneys general contained no finding that MillerCoors engaged in unlawful behavior or marketed its Sparks brand to people below the legal drinking age.
MillerCoors cooperated fully with the state attorneys general investigation of its Sparks brands. “While we have listened closely to the AGs and respect their position, we strongly disagree with their inaccurate allegations about the marketing and sale of Sparks,” Long said. “The Sparks brand has been responsibly marketed only to legal drinking age consumers.”
Also, Sparks is the only alcohol-based energy drink that’s actually banned, but it accounts for 90% of the market. It’s a safe bet that the smaller players, like Joose, aren’t going to push their luck.
If you want to read the actual settlement agreement, click here.
Whew…thanks for saving the kids from this danger. I’m glad our taxes are being spent to good use. But what if someone drinks an alcoholic drink and then drinks a Red Bull after it, or God forbid, mixes them together on his own? We now need warning labels clearly posted on the products to avoid potential mixing.
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RD Reply:
December 19th, 2008 at 1:04 am
You’re right, they need a Skull and Crossbones sticker slapped on them, like in “Thank you for Smoking!” oh my!
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Jasmine Reply:
January 8th, 2009 at 3:15 am
I hope that you are joking… go to hell Mark…. it’s the fucking dumbass adults that buy sparks for kids who should be banned…!!!! or something… not sparks…. God I am soooo mad… ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
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Lacey Reply:
August 25th, 2009 at 3:40 am
I KNOW THEY JUST CANT DO THAT TAKING AWAY THESE THINGS WILL BE LIKE TAKING AWAY SOMEONES NEEDED COFFEE!!!!!!!!
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mike Reply:
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
your an idiot
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James Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
You know who you sound a lot like?
Hitler you dumb fuck! Think for your fucking self and stop letting a bunch of worthless poiticians tell you what to think!
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jake Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 1:40 am
hey all you dipshits, mark was so obviously being sarcastic… lol @ dumbasses
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James Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 1:17 am
who are you? His fucking buttbuddy??
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Here’s what you people don’t understand– these energy drinks do no more harm to those who drink them than drinking any amount of alcohol does. Does it impair judgment? Yes… but SO DO ALL OTHER FORMS OF ALCOHOL. You people need to get a clue– there are FAR better things to worry about than people drinking energy drinks that either contain or are mixed with alcohol. This is not news– mixing uppers and downers has always been looked down upon, but killing the market for these company’s is just wrong. Free enterprise, people– get a freaking clue.
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Just drop a few caffeine pills in
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red bull and old e is surprisingly good but sparks will be missed by me
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Did some reasearch. Sparks contains 214mg of caffeine, which comes from caffeine directly and guarana. Sparks also contains Taurine but there is no study on how much taurine is in Sparks. Red Bull has 1000mgs of taurine.
If you want to make your own Sparks type drink, add one Maximum Strength NoDoz pill(200mgs caffeine) and 1 1000mg taurine table(easily available at Akins).
Also, stock up on Sparks now ! I bought 5 cases today, have my local liquor store bringing in 10 more cases for me on Friday
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What are the other states? Anyone know? Better not be Oregon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Laci Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 6:12 am
oregon sells it!!!
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one can of joose will make you drunk… i know because i have just done that. after saying that, i will drive out of state to get it. sorry, but being an alcoholic is better then being a crackhead.
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James Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:37 pm
NO SHIT!
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I didn’t hear Joose and 4 maxx were out yet. Just Tilt (budweiser) and Sparks(miller-Coors). It isn’t a ban. They voluntarily discontinued it because they have no sack and buckled under the pressure of interest groups.
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this is absurd!! i drink sparks and joose, and i recognized all the alcohol+ caffiene conbination does is neutrilize the alcohol a little bit i dont get as drunk as quick off these drinks i guess because one of the reasons we get drunk is because we are slowed down by the acohol…when u have the caffiene from it it just makes you more alert…which actually makes you more sober because your not experiencing the down of the drunkeness…i conclude it really makes you less drunk. its crazy to say this stuff is making kids “nutso” give a kid a 6 pack of beer or a bottle of vodka….guaranteed he will also be “nutso”
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dr. E Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Your statement could not be further from the truth. Sympathetic stimulation of a depressed nervous system does not “balance things out” as you are insisting. It’s logic like this that explains the health problem I observe on a daily basis. My two cents: This stuff is quite possibly the worst thing you can put into your body. That still doesn’t mean we need to involve lawmakers.
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Wow thats fantastic. Joose is about the only thing guaranteed to get me buzzed. All of that caffeine just helps more blood flow through your system and thus alows for faster alcohol absorption into the bloodstream and yeah it does pep you up a little but but I sure as hell don’t feel like going around breaking shit and developing any more of “risky behavior” than any other drunk fucker out there. Just goes to show you can never have anything nice for very long before someone feels the need to take it away.
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dr. E Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Time for a liver panel bud. Bet your leaking some enzymes.
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you are all fucking idiots…do you know how often people mix energy drinks with alcohol? ever hear of jager-bombs? wtf this makes the party more hoppin and doesnt put people in more danger than they already are when drinkin. being drunk and energized and being just drunk is the same thing…you even crash on the energy drink making you wanna hit the sack. shut up ignorant parents
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Na Na Na Na…Na Na Na Na…Hey hey hey…Good bye and good riddence..I am a cashier up here in seattle and couldnt be more happy with this..Now get rid of the blunt wraps and this would be a perfect world
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James Reply:
January 10th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
You’re a cashier. Thus, your opinion is worth less than shit.
Na Na Na Na… Na Na Na… your “job” is respected by no one and by the look of your simply formed opinion, neither are you.
If your parents were just sterelized the world would be perfect.
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Laci Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 3:06 am
I’m gonna have to agree with the comment before me… this douchebag sucks… like its really gonna be that hard to mix a buzzin shot of caffeine with your alcohol!!! seriously?? All these drinks do is provide convenience!
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James Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 1:20 am
thank you and fuck you again Christopher the overopinionated cashier.
what 13 states are prohibiting the sale?
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Mark, you’re the reason people are being robbed of their rights. Just like cigarettes people know the risk of consuming sparks. It’s a choice you make as a cognitive adult. If underage use occurs it’s the same as minors buying cigarettes. IT”S ILLEGAL. I myself will be buying a red bull with my mault liquor and wiping my ass with this “deal”. You want big brother to watch over you like a fucking sheep? MOve to cuba you coward fuck and leave my freedom to do what i wish with my body alone. Just because you are to scared to think for yourself doesnt mean the rest of us are! Pussy!
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jake Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 1:51 am
james, your another stupid fuck on the internet, marks comment is called”sarcasm”… lmao
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James Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Wow, the both of you are dumb. Sarcasm doesnt work in print. Now take your ass kissing ass back to sucking mark’s dick. I’m another stupid fuck on the internet?? And what exactly are you doing?? lol dumbfuck…
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wade Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 3:01 am
Hey “James”. I agree with your point of view totally, but think you should have your nuts stomped on. You think you’re some kind of badass by talking shit like that on the internet? Fuck you. Why dont you stop gargling you lovers jizz and flossing w his pubes and then maybe ppl will care more about the shit you say. Bitch. Fuckin piss off.
i really think it is stupid that there takin sparks and joose off the market thats all i drink if yall take that away then i wont have anything to drink
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THIS IS VERY AMUSING. WHEN ENERGY DRINKS WERE FIRST MARKETED I STATED TO MY FRIENDS THAT THEY WOULD BE BANNED. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP. IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT THE KIDS
SINCE RED BULL CAN BE SPIKED WITH VODKA WE ARE STILL UNSAFE!!!! START GROWING GUARANA NOW BEFORE WAR IS DECLARED ON THIS WONDROUS PLANT. ALSO LIKE TO ASK WHY SOBE NO FEAR IS SO HARD TO FIND. BEST QUALITY OF ALL E-DRINKS AND IT’S BEING STOCKED LESS AND LESS! I WISH I HAD A MAGIC REFRIGERATED VAULT THAT I COULD FILL WITH SPARKS AND SOBE NO FEAR. I COULD SET IT RIGHT BESIDE MY LIFETIME SUPPLY OF PINK CHAMPALE AND GRAPE MALT DUCK. 
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listen, joose has been the only thing i have drank to get drunk in over a year now. i enjoy the short time period it takes to get drunk and the taste has become tolerable.
there are people mixing crack and cocanie with alcohol to get the whole “upper and downer” kind of messed up and ur targeting joose.
i hate you for taking my drink away.
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Has anyone tried the new green and if they have .I was wondering if they have noticed a change in the recipe as well as the skull and bones pictured on the can?I
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LOL GUD WHEN I DRANK SPARKZ AND JOOSE I RAPE GIRL AND DRIVE CAR INTO BUILDING
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Jake Reply:
January 10th, 2010 at 8:51 am
hahah for reals i was going to drink a energy drink when i was drunk but i didnt want to commit suicide and do a horrible crime….. i think they just need to regulate the people that are morons that drink it those people deserve to kill themselfs and thin them selfs out of the gene pool….fuck im drunk im hope i typed all that clearly hahaha
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who knows the year of joose’s release?
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wow! lots of hate. I say they that wants to drink it let them drink it. I for one drink it. By the way they didnt include what exactly it does to your body. Imagine a crazy upper plus a major downer. Not so good on your heart. Usually causes heart attacks. The people that dont like it then dont drink it, do not judge others that do or kids parents that allow them too. I say piss poor parenting but nothing you can do about it so dont try. Oh sure you can bitch and moan but really people are goin to do what they please, I say dont do it if you havent already bad stuff. But on a lighter side gets you drunk quicker. haha.
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