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I-TeamEnergy Drink Mix Looks Like Illegal DrugBy John MercureIt looks like an illegal drug. It has the same name as a dangerous street substance. Blow is a new product that glamorizes the drug addict lifestyle, and it's being marketed to our kids. It's a white powder that comes in a small vial. It even comes with a fake credit card and a mirror. The term blow is also slang for cocaine. Maria Kolda is a drug prevention specialist for Impact in Milwaukee. "It's probably the most blatant drug glamorization I've seen in marketing to date," Kolda said. Kari Kinnard runs Mothers Against Drunk Driving Wisconsin. "This product is crossing all lines of advertising to youth, obviously marketing to youth," Kinnard said. TODAY'S TMJ4's John Mercure did a satellite interview with Logan Gola, the creator of Blow Energy Drink Mix. "We didn't make that lifestyle sexy. All we're doing is flirting with it and calling it out. We can't sweep it under the rug. It is what it is," Gola said from Los Angeles. The marketing campaigns images are unmistakable. They are graphic, glorifying snapshots of an apparent drug bust. They look like old U.S Drug Enforcement Agency photos. They're actually part of the marketing campaign for Gola's new powdered energy drink mix. TODAY'S TMJ4's I-Team also checked out the Blow Web site. It has edgy music, flashy graphics, and apparent shots of cocaine. It all glamorizes the illegal drug culture. Maria Kolda sat down with the I-Team to discuss this new product. John Mercure: "When you hear Blow, what do you think of?" Maria Kolda: "Cocaine, and I think most people do." Kolda is a director for Impact, a Milwaukee drug resource center. "The real danger is that it makes teens or young people think that cocaine use is an acceptable part of the culture. That this is acceptable. It's not. It shouldn't be. It's an illegal drug. It's a dangerous drug. It's highly addictive. It's something the community should be concerned about," Kolda said. If you buy Blow you even get a mirror and a fake credit card. Experts say it's mock drug paraphernalia. Kari Kinnard is the executive director of MADD Wisconsin. "This is definitely reflective of cocaine. It definitely has that intention to be used with alcohol and it could very easily lead to underage drinking and impaired driving," Kinnard said. As a matter of fact, we discovered that the creator of Blow brags about mixing his powder with vodka to create the Lindsey Blowhan... or dropping it in champagne to make a Kate Moss cocktail. Logan Gola is the inventor of blow. "It seemed logical to go with a name like Blow and we took it all the way," Logan Gola said. John Mercure: "Logan, here in the Milwaukee area crack and cocaine substance abuse is the #1 treated substance abuse, and your product comes in this vial. People say it looks like cocaine and that you're glamorizing the drug lifestyle." Logan Gola: "You know, we're definitely flirting with that lifestyle and that's what our target consumer wants. We're not apologizing for that. We're doing it and we're marketing it in a way that consumers respond to and I think it would probably be likelier that the people in the streets of Milwaukee who have a problem with drugs and crack are not in our target market group." Kolda is outraged. "He should be concerned because it will eventually affect him. All of this affects all of us," Kolda said. Gola says people in Milwaukee should not be concerned. John Mercure: "What do you say to those that say, 'It's not edgy. It's not hip. It's not cool. It's reprehensible.'" Logan Gola: "You're not in our target market. Get a life. Move on. Focus on something that's more important." We decided to show the product to some moms. John Mercure: "What do you think that is? What does that look like to you?" Mom #1: "Maybe cocaine. I don't know." Mom #2: "That's what it comes with and it's for energy? Ohhhhh. That's terrible." Mom #3: "I think that's awful. I can't believe they can get away with that. Yeah, I think that's terrible." Gola thinks the moms' reactions are ridiculous. "I think the parents that have the biggest problem with Blow, the energy drink mix, are the parents that don't want to take the responsibility for educating and teaching their kids," Gola said. Drug educators like Kolda are worried. "Everybody's trying to protect our kids from drugs and then you have somebody who's actually making money off of it. It's very frustrating. It goes against everything that we do," Kolda said. The blow master Logan Gola is unremorseful. "I make absolutely no apologies for our marketing campaign," Gola said. Blow has retail outlets in dozens of states including Illinois and Minnesota, and Gola says there are plans to begin selling it in Wisconsin in the near future.
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