Beverage aimed at idiots causes controversy...

Throughout the nation brain cell blazing youngsters, television executives, and those annoying mid-30 year olds that still think they're in university are picking at the broken cartilage between their nostrils in anticipation of an exciting new energy drink called Cocaine. Developed by an American company, the beverage, which sells itself as being a legal alternative to the Class A narcotic of the same name, is preparing itself for its UK launch. Though not if Leicester MP Keith Vaz has anything to do with it.

According to Vaz, who is chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, the house condems the launch of the drink due to the ways in which it contains substances that simulate the throat-numbing effects of genuine cocaine use. It also contains three times as much caffeine as its rival Red Bull. If it should be banned for anything, though, perhaps it should be for its incredibly cynical approach to marketing.

The web address for the product (drinkcocaine.com) pretty much sums up the approach that the producers of the drink have taken, which can perhaps be boiled down to the belief that the modern youth has two facets to its personality - a) that they're easily impressed if something seems rebellious, and b) that they like drugs. In many respects this may be true, but they probably shouldn't play up to it.

Martin Barnes, the chief executive of Drugscope, an online charity that provides a reference database of drugs, said: "We welcome the discussion that is taking place around this product and share the concerns, particularly about what looks like a cynical and deliberately provocative marketing exercise. We believe that the majority of young people will see through the marketing ploy, but the people selling this product are making light of an illegal drug that can cause considerable harms."

The inventor of the beverage has stated that the drink has a 'fun' name that makes people 'smile'. It may or may not be released in the UK, depending on how successful old Vaz is...

Written by Oli Anderson on 9 Jul 2008 11:32 AM. Permalink