WAIMEA — One can of Four Loko contains as much alcohol as how many cans of beer? Adults scratched their heads quizzically, some calling on Kaua‘i Police Department School Resource Officer Mark Ozaki for help. Brenda Jose of the county’s
WAIMEA — One can of Four Loko contains as much alcohol as how many cans of beer?
Adults scratched their heads quizzically, some calling on Kaua‘i Police Department School Resource Officer Mark Ozaki for help.
Brenda Jose of the county’s Anti-Drug Office said these alcoholic beverages with added caffeine are the latest concern for the Food and Drug Administration.
That was one of the reasons her table buzzed with excitement as people found out one can of Four Loko contains as much alcohol as five cans of beer and as much caffeine as three cups of coffee. Its label states the beverage has between 10 percent to 12 percent alcohol.
“When Ishihara Market found out about this, they called the FDA, and when they found out pulling the item off the shelves was voluntary, they pulled it from their shelves,” Jose said.
“This is just one small piece of good news. We need more.” Jose said there’s a new whipped cream containing alcohol that was featured on a local television news program just this week. “The good thing is that it hasn’t reached Hawai‘i, yet,” Jose said. “But it’s available on the Internet.” Labeled “Get Whipped,” it contains 15 percent alcohol.
State Department of Education Kaua‘i Area Complex Superintendent William Arakaki said these are just some of the threats facing today’s young people.
“When I was growing up, we never had things like what the young people today must contend with,” Arakaki said. “There are drugs, cyber-bullying, predators and more.”
The purpose of having Winter ‘Ohana Safe and Fun Nights is to provide families with resources on how to deal with these problems, and to become more aware of what kinds of threats young people are facing, he said.
“The Department of Education cares,” said Bridget Arume, the coordinator of Winter ‘Ohana. Arume said the average students spends just 19 percent of his or her day in school. The remaining 81 percent is spent in the community.
Arakaki encourages the public to visit the two other scheduled Winter ‘Ohana Safe and Fun Nights.
Dec. 7, doors open for the spaghetti dinner from 5:30 p.m. at the Kapa‘a Elementary School cafeteria, and on Dec. 8 dinner will be served from 5:30 p.m. at the King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School cafeteria.
