Last fall I was squawking about my close encounter with Cocaine (the drink) and I voiced my displeasure about the name. I am still not the Church Lady, but I still think it is the lamest marketing ploy out there.
Well just 8 short months later, according to this CNN.com story, Cocaine (the drink) is being pulled from the shelves.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter last month that said (manufacturer) Redux was illegally marketing the drink as a street drug alternative and a dietary supplement. May 4 was the deadline for the company to respond.
The FDA cited as evidence the drink's labeling and Web site, which included the statements "Speed in a Can," "Liquid Cocaine" and "Cocaine -- Instant Rush." The company says Cocaine contains no drugs and is marketed as an energy drink. It has been sold since last August in at least a dozen states.
The manufacturer had this to say about the product positioning:
"Of course, we intended for Cocaine energy drink to be a legal alternative the same way that celibacy is an alternative to premarital sex," (Clegg Ivey, a partner in Redux Beverages) Ivey said.
He did not just spew that line. Did he? If that is the clear-headed thinking that can only come from an "energy" drink, I think it might be time pull then plug from the refrigerator case. People, step away from the straw.
Paul: I perceive this as the FDA moving at lightening speed. Now the young people of the world can finally get some sleep.
Posted by: Lori Magno | May 07, 2007 at 10:02 PM
Wow, that happened way faster than I expected!
Posted by: Paul McEnany | May 07, 2007 at 09:13 PM