This type of legislation has generated a decent amount of press in the U.S., but really cooks overseas – in the UK (welcome blokes!) and Australia (crikey!) in particular.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and public health advocates launched a campaign yesterday to make sure drinks like Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Jack Daniel’s Black Jack Cola are considered legally the same as liquor, not beer.The legislature is considering a bill backed by alcohol manufacturers and distributors that would classify the beverages as beer, overruling an opinion that Gansler issued this month declaring such beverages – loosely termed “alcopops” – to be spirits under the law because of how they are made and because of evidence that they are popular among teenagers. The opinion effectively changes the way the drinks have been regulated in the state for decades.

Lobbyists for the liquor industry, who deny the drinks are marketed to teens and argue they should be classified like beer because of their alcohol content, have been pushing hard for the bill, which passed in the Senate with little fanfare.

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