As powdered alcohol, or Palcohol, could start being sold this summer, some Illinois senators and house representatives have sponsored a bill to ban the substance.

Palcohol has not even hit the shelves yet but is already banned in Alaska, North Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Vermont.

Palcohol creator Mark Phillips explains his reasoning for creating it on his website. As an active person, he always wanted to relax with alcohol after a long day exercising, but said it was hard to carry bottles of wine and beer.

Phillips said he teamed up with scientists to create an alcoholic powder, which is about 80 calories per serving, not including the calories in the drink mixed with the powder.

He said he does not believe banning powdered alcohol is about public safety. He believes liquid alcohol is a bigger threat to public health, yet it is completely legal. Phillips said the movement to ban Palcohol was likely sparked by the novelty of the idea and because people are unsure of how it will alter the nation’s drinking culture.

Roy Acree, captain of the University Police Department, said the police have not yet dealt with Palcohol but see this as a problematic new issue for the campus.

“It’ll be easier to conceal Palcohol and will be next to impossible for us to identify it,” Acree said. “This will cause people to sneak alcohol into class and cause issues for venues like football games or Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day.”

Illinois Sen. Julie Morrison, D-29, said she is concerned about the new substance affecting the state’s youth. She is a co-sponsor on the powdered alcohol ban that passed the Senate unanimously and is currently being discussed in the House.

“U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) is pursuing a federal ban, saying, ‘Underage alcohol abuse is a growing epidemic with tragic consequences and powdered alcohol could exacerbate this,’” said Morrison in an email.

“Liquid alcohol is easier to conceal, easier to spike drinks and easier to use to binge drink,” Phillips said. “Even though liquid alcohol is a proven public health problem, we don’t ban it … We’ve learned that prohibition doesn’t work. We can’t legislate behavior.”

According to Phillips’ website, Palcohol would be sold in liquor stores and regulated the same way as liquid alcohol. Phillips stated that an unintended consequence of the ban is that it would make it easier for underage drinkers to get it on the streets and abuse it.

Even though it would be sold in liquor stores, Acree said it would be just as easy for underage drinkers to get powdered alcohol from an older person as it is for them to get liquid alcohol.

As the debate over banning Palchol continues, some Illinois legislatures continue to push for the ban as the bill is discussed in the House.

“Whether you are conservative or liberal, no one wants a nanny government telling its citizens what they can and cannot drink,” Phillips stated on his website.

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