Four Loko is in the process of being banned and removed from store shelves in New York, a disheartening policy for many college students and young people. What started as a popular, convenient way to drink a mixed alcoholic energy drink has become a vilified drinking habit.

“I remember the first time I saw a Four Loko. My friend was standing inside South Hall drinking one when the security guard asked what it was. She answered ‘an energy drink’ and he replied ‘Looks good,'” sophomore Kayla Bourdeau said.

Four Loko is extremely popular among the students at Iona College and a favored item of purchase from Deli Mart on North Ave. The ban of the beverage now underway will not go unnoticed by students on campus.

Because of recent hospitalizations due to Four Loko consumption, legislators in New York have begun to take steps toward eliminating the alcoholic energy drink. After Dec. 10, any business that continues to sell the beverage will be subject to fines.

The speculation about the health detriments Four Lokos yield is both refuted and supported.  Their detrimental effects can be blamed on the high level of both caffeine and alcohol; two entities that on their own are harmful, and together can be lethal.

But are the effects of drinking a Four Loko any worse than consuming other mixed drinks? College students and advocates for the tasty Loko think differently.

“Any alcoholic drink can pose a threat if consumed in excess, but Four Loko really isn’t any worse for you than mixing red bull and vodka-which people do,” sophomore Marinda Frazier said.

Phusion Projects is the company that manufactures Four Loko products, and they advocate for the drink’s safe nature.

An article from the Boston Globe stated, “With an alcohol content on par with some premium beers and about as much caffeine as a large cup of coffee, there is nothing inherently dangerous in the combination of alcohol and caffeine. Drinks like Irish coffee and rum and cola have been consumed for years.” So why all the opposition now?

Some believe the criticism stems from the drink’s growing popularity, reasonable price and easy accessibility.

College students are attracted to the low price because they are on tight budgets. Four Loko is a sure way to have a good time without spending a lot of money.

While many college students have only good things to say about Four Loko, hostility toward the drink does exist among young people.

“Four Loko is the devil’s drink. I see my asinine roommate pass out every weekend from drinking a Four Loko, and I’m genuinely concerned for his health,” junior Chris DuBritz said.

This detrimental effect can be accredited to the nature of Four Loko itself, or simply too much alcohol consumption carried out by the consumer.

Establishments selling Four Lokos are also averse to the looming ban on the beverage.

Because Four Loko is such a popular drink of choice at Deli Mart, it is possible that store profits will drastically fall if orders for Four Loko products cannot be placed.

This may be only the beginning of banning alcoholic beverages. With Four Lokos gone from the shelves of New York stores, which mixed drink will go next? The answer may be whichever one grows the most popular following the Loko.