MIDDLETOWN -- First there was Four Loco, now Palcohol is the latest "drink" to join the political discussion.
Palcohol is powdered alcohol. Its creators say when the substance is mixed with water, it is equivalent to a standard alcoholic beverage.
Manager Christopher Lord had Forest City Wine and Spirits' shelves neatly stocked on Friday night, but he's brainstorming to make room for the potential new product.
"I think it's going to be successful," said Lord, of the controversial "drink."
Lord and his boss think the novelty will rake in the green.
"Easily concealed, people will be able to take it places and I guess it's convenient," said Lord of Palcohol's selling points.
High schooler Angelic Jimenez predicts the powdered vodka will make its way to teens. "It'll be at parties, it'll probably be in school like, they'll put it in water and say it's water," Jimenez said.
"That would be the easiest thing to get by, like, anybody could do that," Jenelle Dacres, another high schooler said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) is fearful of what he calls a "tragedy waiting to happen."
Palcohol got approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau last month, but Blumenthal wants to put a legislative ban on it.
"The safety watchdogs, federal agencies are failing to do their job. That's why I think a ban is necessary and why federal action through the legislative process is absolutely necessary to protect our children," Blumenthal said.
In an email to Fox CT, Palcohol's inventor writes, "I have a great concern for kids. Thus, Palcohol needs to be regulated to keep it out of the hands of the youth."
He added, "It will be sold in liquor stores just like liquid alcohol...and taxed just like liquid alcohol."
Hartford Hospital toxicologist Dr. Mark Neavyn worries Palcohol will be abused just like liquid alcohol.
"Just recently I had a child exposed to alcohol...That child was incubated and in a coma for a few days," Neavyn said at a news conference calling for a Palcohol ban. "We really need to remember that just because it's legal doesn't mean it's safe."
Back at Forest City, Palcohol's life span may be unclear, but managers said stocking it is worth a shot.
"We'll probably move a lot of it," said Lord.
