Rap music star and actor Snoop Dogg is being blasted by a watchdog group for his promotion of an alcoholic beverage called "Blast by Colt .45." The rapper is accused of using his popularity among young blacks to encourage them to drink Pabst Brewing Company's latest malt liquor drink.
"While the federal government was shutting down dangerous caffeinated alcohol, Pabst Brewing Company was cooking up 'Blast,' a super sweet, fruit-flavored, supersized alcopop containing as much alcohol as four and a half cans of beer," said Bruce Lee Livingston, Marin Institute executive director and CEO.
"Joose, Four Loko, Tilt, and now Blast are racing to the bottom to harm youth. Senator Padilla's bill should limit such products to one standard-size drink."
Blast's spokesperson, Snoop Dogg -- whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. -- was a founding member of the Crips gang. Since then he's grown in popularity as an award-winning rap artist, actor and advertising spokesperson for a number of products. He grew up in Southern California where the Crips began. He left the gang to become one of rap music's mega-stars after his albums repeatedly topped the music charts. Dogg is also a motion picture actor and is frequently seen in television commercials.
Dogg's name also came up in 2006 in connection with a West Coast-based Ecstasy smuggling scheme uncovered by federal agents. Kenneth Cecil Francis, III, 37, who served as co-producer with rap artist of the Playboy Channel program "Buckwild" was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Los Angeles International Airport when he and Snoop Dogg returned from a trip to Europe.
Also charged in the Ecstasy smuggling scheme is Ronald Joseph Samuel, 33, the editor in chief of "UNleashed Magazine," an urban lifestyle publication popular in hip hop music circles. Samuel, who has been ordered held without bond, was arrested by agents last week in Van Nuys. Samuel is suspected of overseeing the ring that used aspiring female models to smuggle hundreds of thousands of Ecstasy tablets from Europe into the United States in 2000 and 2001. However, no charges were brought against Dogg.
Last November the federal government banned seven dangerous caffeinated alcoholic beverages including Four Loko and Joose. Senator Padilla's bill (SB 39) codifies part of the federal ruling to ensure new products combining caffeine and alcohol are not sold in California.
Marin Institute officials maintain that the bill does not go far enough to protect the public health and safety especially of California's youth.
More than 2.3 million underage youth drink alcohol each year in California, according to the institute's data. Underage drinking costs the state a staggering $7.3 billion annually and youth violence, crime, car crashes, and high-risk sex are the most noticeable results, they claim..
SB 39 will be heard in the Senate Governmental Organization (GO) Committee on Tuesday in Sacramento. Marin Institute is encouraging people to tell Senator Padilla and the GO Committee Chair Rod Wright (D-Los Angeles) to protect the health and safety of California youth and all residents by amending the bill to ban all caffeinated alcohol beverages and ban the supersized alcopops that are taking their place.
To read SB 39 visit: www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/Bills/SB_39
Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he's a columnist for Examiner.com. In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.
To subscribe to Kouri's newsletter write to COPmagazine@aol.com and write "Subscription" on the subject line.
Comments