Snoop Dogg’s New Drink “Blast” To Be Banned By 17 States [VIDEO]

Top Stories | hiphopucit | April 24, 2011 at 7:23 am

“Blast,” the controversial alcoholic beverage from Pabst Brewing Co. and promoted by hip hop star Snoop Dogg, is facing some heavy fire.

The drink, a 23 oz. fruity concoction with 12 percent alcohol by volume (over three times the alcoholic content of beer), has already drawn the ire of watchdog groups and some politicians for targeting children with its marketing. Now, in the most powerful condemnation of Blast, a strongly worded letter signed by 17 state attorneys general urges Pabst to “end production and sale” of the drink.

Spearheaded by Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, the letter describes the sugary drinks as a “binge-in-a-can” and is co-signed by attorneys general from California, Illinois, Arizona, Ohio, Washington and 11 other states.

The drink is sold in colorful cans and comes in flavors like strawberry-lemonade and grape. Defending Snoop’s promotion of Blast, which includes a YouTube video, ads and posters, Darren Metropoulos, co-owner of Pabst, previously called the drink “a part of [Snoop's] lifestyle.”Responding to the letter, Pabst’s head of marketing, Jon Sayer, told CNN,

“Blast is only meant to be consumed by those above legal drinking age. As with all Pabst products, our marketing efforts for Blast are focused on conveying the message of drinking responsibly.”Snoop has yet to respond to the controversy.