Police caution consumers on alcoholic lemonade

    HOULTON — A Houlton store recently sold “Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade” to a minor, who brought the drink to school where it was confiscated by the school’s principal. The drink contains 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, which is about the same as a “non-alcholic” O’Doul’s beer.
    The verdict is not back from the Maine Bureau of Liquor Licensing defining exactly who can sell and who can purchase the product. However, since any retail outlet can sell beverages with very low alcohol content without a liquor license, this beverage is likely being sold in other stores in the County and perhaps the state. In fact, the distributor apparently told the storeowner that Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade can be sold to anyone of any age.
    “This is unacceptable,” said Melissa Boyd of the Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse. “We cannot sell alcohol to children in any way, shape, or form and we must make these manufacturers accountable for their actions”
    “In my opinion, this product meets the state’s definition of being an imitation liquor and thus should not be sold to minors,” Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin said. “Regardless of where the product is manufactured, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer and distributor to inform retail outlets of any restrictions on its sale.”
    The chief declined to name the business that sold the product, “because the business was unaware of any potential sale restrictions on the product.” The sale happened several weeks ago. No charges will be filed in the matter.
    Chief Asselin said educating consumers and storeowners on this matter was a high priority.
    “I think the main idea is to get the word out to other merchants and parents that the product contains a minuscule amount of alcohol and that the packaging of the product could be construed as coming under the state’s definition of imitation liquor,” he said.
    To further ensure that products containing alcohol do not end up in the hands of children, Community Voices and ASAP Coalition, both working to reduce underage access to alcohol in Aroostook County, encourage all to be especially attentive of products being purchased and sold.
    “It is imperative that communities work together to safeguard youth from the potential harms of underage alcohol consumption and protect our local retailers from unknowingly participating in unlawful sales of alcohol,” said Michelle Plourde Chasse of Community Voices.