A powdered alcohol ban is advancing in Colorado, although the product has not yet been approved for consumption by the federal government.
The Colorado's senate voted 28-7 Monday for a bill to ban the sale of a product called Palcohol — a powder to which water is added for the equivalent of a shot of vodka or rum. Colorado sponsors of a bill insist the ban is more of a "time-out" to figure out how to regulate a product that doesn't exist yet. The ban would automatically go away if federal regulators approve powdered alcohol.
This comes as several other states are at work on legislation to ban the product before it hits the shelves, including Iowa and Ohio. In Rhode Island, a senate committee is also scheduled to consider a couple of bills that would ban the substance.
Critics of powdered alcohol are concerned about the safety of the product and the potential for abuse. On their web site, the makers of Palcohol say "there is not one shred of evidence that it will be used or abused any differently than liquid alcohol."
In 2014, Palcohol received initial approval from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to market their packets of flavored, powdered alcohol. But the approval was quickly rescinded and called an "error."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.