Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is confident his ban on powdered alcohol is “airtight” and that the new fad alcohol, which has public health experts up in arms, will never hit store shelves in Maryland. Franchot supports the bill and on Thursday joined Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and local doctors at a press conference in Baltimore to call on lawmakers to take action.

Public health officials, Annapolis lawmakers, and the beverage and beer industry have joined to ban the sale of powdered alcohol before it even hit the market in Maryland. A coalition of public health officials and physicians convened by Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore's health commissioner, also came out in support of a ban Thursday.

Too often youth are seen as ‘the problem’ when many youth have already endured more hardships than some adults face in their lifetime.  As a city, our task is to help ensure youth’s wellbeing and their growth into successful adults. Many youth are victims of violence directly or indirectly. Nationally, youth under 25 years of age have the highest rates of homicide and violent crime victimization. For example, poor birth outcomes related to smoking, drugs, lead poisoning, witnessing domestic violence, and child abuse can affect a child’s development. In turn, they increase the likelihood of a child becoming a delinquent or adult offender.