UNPA slams Cocaine drink

In recent months accusations have raged against the drink's name via media reports. The Utah-based association of dietary supplement companies is now calling on the federal government to take prompt action and assure what it calls "illicit street drug sound-alike products" are not marketed as dietary supplements. Up until now the heavily publicized debate has surrounded the connotation the Cocaine energy drink has to the illegal white substance derived from coca plants, but not the issues of whether or not the drink is masking as a dietary supplement. Redux Beverages, the makers of the drink, says Cocaine has three and a half times as much caffeine as popular energy drink Red Bull. Cocaine is reportedly sold in some stores in the states of New York and California. Parents, politicians, retailers, lawyers and students have spoken out about a drink name they say has negative connotations to the narcotic bearing the same name and thus, they claim, could lead to young people snorting the real deal. UNPA finds fault with promotion on the drink's website, DrinkCocaine.com, making known the "Instant Rush. No Crash!" and "possible feelings of euphoria" drinkers may experience. "UNPA believes that such names and claims are inappropriate and that the federal government has the authority to protect consumers from them,"​reads the association's statement. The group says it supports strong enforcement by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and draws attention specifically to a federal guidance specifically addressing this topic. In March 2000, FDA released a "Guidance for industry: street drug alternatives", in which it denounced products marketed as alternatives to illicit street drugs. In this document, the federal agency made reference to the distinction between such products and dietary supplements. "FDA is also aware that some of these street drug alternatives are being marketed as dietary supplements," reads the guidance. "FDA does not consider street drug alternatives to be dietary supplements." ​ The dietary supplement industry is regulated by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which is part of the Food and Cosmetics Act. Unlike pharmaceuticals, which must go through a series of pre-market approvals, finished dietary supplements need no pre-market approval. Instead, only ingredients not marketed in the US before October 1994 must be approved by FDA before being used in consumer products. However, in its statement, UNPA draws attention to provisions FDA made against misbranded drugs in the Food and Cosmetics Act: "These products are intended to be used for recreational purposes to effect psychological states (e.g., to get high, to promote euphoria, or to induce hallucinations) and have potential for abuse. FDA considers these street drug alternatives to be unapproved new drugs and misbranded drugs under sections 505 and 502 of the Act." ​