The main points are that it seems to target teens and college students and could easily be abused by underage persons. Powdered alcohol comes in packets and can be hidden from parents and  teachers, and sneaked into homes, schools, parties, bars, etc. The product may be abused by making it with less liquid (concentrating the alcohol), possibly snorting it. Underage drinking prevention is the main concern. Senator Flores is sponsoring senate bill 536 which would ban Palcohol/ powdered alcohol. Several other states have already banned it. AG Pam Bondi wants it banned. 

The makers of powdered alcohol, Palcohol, say it will be available for sale soon, but several states are already moving to ban the product. So far, Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, South Carolina and Vermont have banned Palcohol – even though it is not yet available – and Florida, New York, Virginia and several other states are also considering a ban. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly announced that prohibiting the product is one of her legislative priorities this year. Bondi said, “We want to flat-out ban it in our state.” 

Palcohol is powdered alcohol, developed by Mark Phillips. Phillips said he wanted a “refreshing adult beverage” after engaging in activities such as biking or kayaking, where carrying large bottles of alcohol was not possible. He then spearheaded the creation of powdered alcohol. The product is available either in V powder, which is quadruple-distilled vodka, or R powder, which is premium Puerto Rican rum. Simply add water to the powder and you have an alcoholic beverage.

According to the Palcohol website, Palcohol will be sold in one ounce packages that contain the equivalent of one shot of alcohol each. Each bag is about 80 calories and is gluten-free. The website also notes that Palcohol is “for the legitimate and responsible enjoyment by lawful consumers.” The website explains it can be used by “outdoors enthusiasts such as campers, hikers and others who wanted to enjoy adult beverages responsibly without having the undue burden of carrying heavy bottles of liquid.” Or “adult travlers journeying to destinations far from home could conveniently and lawfully carry their favorite cocktail in powder format.”

Phillips is known in the wine community for producing and hosting the television show, “Enjoying Wine with Mark Phillips” and his book, “Swallow This: The Progressive Approach to Wine.” He also served as a wine expert to the Smithsonian.
However, Palcohol has faced difficulty almost from the beginning. Last April, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the product. However, 13 days later, it rescinded its approval and said it had issued the approval “in error.” The TTB announced, “Those label approvals were issued in error and have since been surrendered.”

As soon as the product hit the media headlines, criticism exploded over the possibility of minors gaining access to the product and users snorting the powdered alcohol. Palcohol dismisses these concerns and counters them on its web site. It notes that snorting the product is “painful” and “impractical…It takes approximately 60 minutes to snort the equivalent of one shot of vodka. Why would anyone do that when they can do a shot of liquid vodka in two seconds?”

The company also says it is not easier to “sneak into venues” and because it does not dissolve instantly, it can’t be used to spike a drink. Finally, the company says kids will not have easier access to powdered alcohol than to regular alcohol.
Unfortunately, however, early versions of the Palcohol web site did not help its cause. SB Nation reported that Palcohol’s website originally included the following wording:
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room….snorting Palcohol. Yes, you can snort it. And you’ll get drunk almost instantly because the alcohol will be absorbed so quickly in your nose. Good idea? No. It will mess you up. Use Palcohol responsibly.
Palcohol subsequently removed that wording and explained, “There was a page visible on this site where we were experimenting with some humorous and edgy verbiage about Palcohol. It was not meant to be our final presentation of Palcohol.”
Despite the controversy, the company says it will be available this Spring. It also is planning to introduce powdered cocktails, including Cosmopolitan, Mojito, and “Powderita,” which it says takes like a Margarita, and Lemon Drop.
However, so far, it is unclear where exactly you will be able to buy it.

 Source:  http://www.commdiginews.com/life/controversy-brews-over-powdered-alcohol-34291/   January 31, 2015