Ala. ABC bans caffeine-alcohol drinks

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has banned the sale in Alabama of canned beer-like drinks that combine caffeine and alcohol.

One of the most popular of the drinks is sold under the name Four Loko.

An attorney for the ABC Board, Bob Martin, said Wednesday the ABC Board banned the drinks after they had been declared dangerous by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

ABC Board administrator Mac Gipson sent a letter on Feb. 2 to beer wholesalers in Alabama informing them that it was now illegal to sell or distribute the drinks in Alabama.

In the letter, Gipson advised that the drinks should be removed immediately from store shelves.