State Senators Want to Ban Alcoholic Energy Drinks on N.J. Campuses

State Senators Loretta Weinberg (D-37) and Teresa Ruiz (D-29) are calling on New Jersey colleges and universities to immediately ban alcoholic energy drinks from campus as they work to make the requested ban a law.

"We cannot emphasize enough the danger these drinks pose to our young people," the senators wrote in a letter sent to school presidents Wednesday.

"A single alcoholic energy drink contains the equivalent of up to four beers and three cups of coffee, an extremely potent combination of depressants and stimulants that can create a deceiving sense of sobriety, leading to over-intoxication and blackouts. Extreme intoxication has become so widespread with consumption that the popular Four Loko alcoholic energy drink inspired a Web site that serves as a forum for consumers to post their blackout stories," the letter said.

Four Loko, Joose and 808 are some of the more popular drinks and are sold in a variety of juice flavors for $2 to $3 a can, according to a statement from the senators released Wednesday.

The request comes after 23 Ramapo College students were hospitalized for alcohol-related illness after some allegedly drank "the stimulant-laced alcoholic beverages." The Mahwah institution has since banned caffeinated alcoholic drinks from campus.

Legislation being drafted by Weinberg and Ruiz would apply to both public and private colleges and universities. 

Editor's note: A copy of the letter sent to colleges and universities is attached to this article.