College student commits suicide after consuming Four Loko

By Staff Writer

In recent weeks, a wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Phusion Projects Inc. after a Florida man got drunk on Four Loko - a controversial alcoholic energy drink - and shot himself in the head with a pistol, Absolute Lawsuits reports.

The family of Jason Keiran filed the Four Loko lawsuit less than a week before the FDA issued warning letters to Phusion and other energy drink makers, saying that it considers caffeine an unsafe additive for alcoholic beverages. The FDA's letter comes after a year-long investigation by agency into the safety of drinks that mix large amounts of alcohol and caffeine, like Four Loko.

Witnesses said that Keiran, a college student, binged all day on the drink, telling friends that he felt fine due to the caffeine, according to the news source. Some experts say that the effects of the caffeine can override the body's warning signs about intoxication, resulting in riskier behavior and more drinking.

The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students, during the past 30 days, 42 percent drank some amount of alcohol.