State legislators and law enforcement officials called alcohol vaporizers dangerous and a threat to the health of Massachusetts citizens at a hearing at the State House on Wednesday.
Legislators debated banning “alcohol without liquid,” or AWOL, devices, which allow users to inhale alcohol directly into the blood stream
“This machine is a joke,” said Rep. Martin Walsh (D-Boston). “It sets us back a long way. We’ve done a lot to hinder the negative effects of alcohol. It’s just not a smart thing and should be banned nationwide.”
Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission Treasurer Timothy Cahill said the machine poses a threat because the alcohol is absorbed quicker in the body than drinking alcohol, which moves through the digestive system.
“Because the alcohol is inhaled through the nasal membrane, it is absorbed into the blood much faster, providing a more rapid and intense feeling of intoxication,” Cahill said.
Rep. John Quinn (D-Dartmouth) said he fears users will become intoxicated more quickly because they do not realize their intake.
Quinn also questioned a Breathalyzer test’s ability to accurately determine AWOL users’ intoxication levels if the alcohol is inhaled, since no scientific testing on the matter has been performed. Long-term health risks for users are also unknown.
A North Carolina-based distributor of the AWOL machine, Spirit Partners, Inc., claims on its website that AWOL is a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, no-hangover way to consume alcohol.
“It’s a ‘too good to be true’ marketing scheme,” Quinn said during his testimony. “For once, I think we should be proactive rather than reactive and stop it before it starts.
“It’s some of the most shameless marketing I’ve ever seen,” Vice-Chairman Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) said. “The best reason to outlaw this product is because of the marketing.”
The legislation was sponsored by Montigny and Quinn, who said they fear the negative effects from AWOL, which mixes alcohol with pressurized oxygen and enables users to inhale one shot of alcohol over 20 minutes, according to the AWOL website.
Montigny said as many as 24 states have already banned the machine on a local level, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm banned the machine statewide in December.
Debates over safety and health issues prompted Cahill and Edward Melia, a Quincy resident, to testify in favor of the ban.
“We have enough problems in the Commonwealth with alcohol in the liquid form without adding another way,” Melia said.
“Alcohol kills 6.5 times as many people as cocaine, heroine and all other drugs combined,” Cahill said. “AWOL will provide an additional hurdle.”
The devices originated in the United Kingdom, and Spirit Partners Inc. also offers one, two and four-person AWOL machines for sale on their website, with single-person units costing around $300.
The State Senate will most likely vote on the bill in the coming weeks, and if sanctioned by the House and Senate, the bill will head to Gov. Mitt Romney for final approval. The law will then be put into effect in Massachusetts, mainly affecting bars and restaurants that sell alcohol.
According to Walsh, Massachusetts has notoriously strict rules regarding liquor licenses, and penalties for violation of the bill will most likely be severe, and although the state government cannot prevent the ordering of machines in private homes, strict penalties will be enforced for violators if the bill is passed.
“We have to put some serious fines on this,” Walsh said. “We should raise fines to make people think twice before buying or using this machine.”