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Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Conway Calls on Pabst Brewing Company to Reduce Alcohol, Alter Marketing of Blast by Colt 45
Attorney General Jack Conway, joined by 17 other state attorneys general, is calling on Pabst Brewing Company to stop selling its new Blast by Colt 45 beverage as currently marketed and packaged as a "binge-in-a-can" targeted at youth.
Earlier this month, Pabst introduced its Blast by Colt 45 as a flavored malt beverage in fruit flavors of grape, strawberry lemonade, strawberry watermelon and blueberry pomegranate, with an alcohol concentration of 12% in brightly colored 23.5 ounce single serving cans. This means that each single serving can actually contains the equivalent of nearly five servings of alcohol.
The attorneys general have expressed their "serious concerns" about the alcohol content and youth-friendly flavors of Blast in a letter to Charles Dean Metropoulos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pabst Brewing Company.
"I believe Blast by Colt 45 poses a serious health and safety risk for America's youth," General Conway said. "At a time when we're fighting to prevent underage drinking and binge drinking, it is irresponsible of Pabst to introduce a ‘binge-in-a-can' style drink targeted at youth and promoted by a popular hip-hop star."
Pabst is utilizing rap artist Snoop Dogg to market Blast. Additionally, promotional videos for the beverage are accessible to viewers of all ages on social media sites such as YouTube and Twitter.
In their letter, the attorneys general also express concern that the target market for all size containers of Blast, which the company describes as persons ages 21-29, includes persons under the legal drinking age, in violation of state law.
"I urge Pabst to take swift and responsible action to address the concerns expressed by attorneys general across the country."
In 2008, Attorney General Conway was among 24 other state attorneys general who successfully urged MillerCoors, LLC to abandon its plan to introduce a new alcoholic energy drink, Sparks Red, which contained a significantly elevated alcohol content.
Link to the letter - http://goo.gl/4T4Ci
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