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Drug expert warns of booze-filled flip-flops

Mar 29, 2007 12:00 AM (557 days ago) by Jaime Malarkey, The Examiner
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Related Topics: BALTIMORE
A flip-flop manufactured by Reef holds 1 ounce of liquor.
(Courtesy photo)
A flip-flop manufactured by Reef holds 1 ounce of liquor.

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Just in time for summer: flip-flops with a secret compartment for booze. “Kids wear flip-flops to school and all over the place,” said Mike Gimbel, former drug czar for Baltimore County and director of substance abuse education at Sheppard Pratt. “You would never know the kid was walking around with vodka in the bottom of their shoe.”

Manufactured by surf and sandal company Reef, the flip-flops can hold about one ounce of liquor in each shoe and come with a miniature funnel and measuring bar.

Calls to Reef were not returned by press time.

The company is selling the built-in flask in several men’s styles, which run about $45 a pair.

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An employee at the Wave Dancer store in Towson Town Center in Baltimore County said the word has not gotten out yet about what he expects to be a hot novelty.

Pointing to the imprint of a mixer on the shoe’s sole and images of a metal flask on a tag — and the capacity of the canteen — Gimbel said the company is clearly promoting alcohol use.

School officials called the product alarming.

“Kids are very creative, and obviously someone at Reef is also very creative,” said Susan Katz, president of the Baltimore County PTA Council. “It’s just another avenue for us to circumvent a law meant to protect children.”

jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com

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Comments from Examiner Readers

8:42 PM MST on Fri., Jun. 20, 2008 re: "Drug expert warns of booze-filled flip-flops"

Examiner Reader said:
So officials think kids are going to bring these to the beach and do what? Get slightly buzzed? For these to become remotely dangerous someone would have to be carrying around a backpack full of sandals.

4 agree | 1 disagree
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10:57 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 17, 2008 re: "Drug expert warns of booze-filled flip-flops"

Rocko the Magnificent said:
Why would you want to drink something that comes out of your shoe? That is disgusting.

6 agree | 5 disagree
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10:55 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 17, 2008 re: "House OKs bill to let liquor stores in Carroll sell on Sundays"

Rocko the Magnificent said:
Can't the drunks in Carroll County do a little pre-planning and go to the liquor store on Saturday?

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9:14 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 19, 2007 re: "Drug expert warns of booze-filled flip-flops"

Examiner Reader said:
Thank You for the information. Kathleen School Nurse

265 agree | 242 disagree
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