PIERRE (AP) - A state House panel wants to ban powdered alcohol in South Dakota.
The Commerce and Energy Committee voted 10-3 Friday to send the bill to the chamber's floor. It has passed through the Senate.
Republican Sen. Jack Kolbeck, the bill's main sponsor, says lawmakers need to be proactive so that powdered alcohol doesn't become available in South Dakota. GOP Rep. Lana Greenfield says it makes sense to "head it off at the pass."
Lawmakers worry that age restrictions on buying alcohol wouldn't apply to the powdered product if it were available and could be sold to minors.
The bill would outlaw the sale, manufacture or possession of powdered alcohol with some exceptions. The National Conference of State Legislatures says at least 25 states had banned its sale as of 2015.