Hall County authorities are in agreement with state lawmakers pushing to place stricter regulations on a popular alcoholic beverage.

A year ago, the makers of Four Loko removed caffeine and other stimulants in the drink amid pressure from the Food and Drug Administration, but state lawmakers still aren't satisfied.

Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens is pressing for more federal regulations on the drink's maker, Phusion Projects, which has been blamed for alcohol-related hospitalizations, primarily among college students.

Olens and 34 other state attorneys general signed a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission to strengthen the proposed deal with the company.

"It's like giving caffeine to a drunk, basically," said JP Banks, project coordinator for the Drug Free Coalition of Hall County.

The proposal would require Phusion Projects to include the amount of alcohol in a can on the drink's label and compare it to regular beer. Olens is also pushing the FTC to limit the alcohol servings per container of the drink.

Last month, Phusion Projects agreed to change its labeling and packaging after the FTC said the makers falsely claimed that a 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko had the same amount of alcohol as one or two regular 12-ounce beers.

But according to the FTC, a Four Loko can actually contains as much alcohol as four or five 12-ounce cans of beer. The drink contains 11 or 12 percent alcohol compared to many beers that contain 5 percent alcohol.

Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard said that deception has created a problem within the county because parents don't realize the true amount of alcohol in the drink. Woodard supports stricter regulations.

This latest issue with the drink comes after the FDA issued warning letters last November to four caffeinated alcoholic beverage makers, including Phusion Projects, warning them the addition of caffeine wasn't approved and was considered unsafe.

Those manufacturers complied with the FDA's concerns and removed the drinks containing caffeine from the shelves. They altered the drinks' makeup to remove the caffeine.

Many convenience stores don't even sell the drinks.

In stores outside of college towns, the drink rarely comes off the shelf, convenience store workers say.

"They're not very popular because a lot of people were scared of them. And then they changed them and brought them back, but they don't move in my store," said Pat Butler, manager of Citgo at 3350 Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville.

Still the drinks remain popular among some young drinkers.

"The county and city marshals both attempt to really enforce the alcohol sales and have a strong presence with our convenience stores, but the Four Loko is a drink that they can't currently mandate and there has been a problem with that in our convenience stores," Woodard said.

When the drink first became popular a couple of years ago, the Drug Free Coalition began keeping a close eye on it and warning people of its dangers.

Banks said the drink is often perceived as just another energy drink because it's not clearly labeled as an alcoholic beverage.

"Some retail outlets will stock it on the shelves right next to regular energy drinks, and it's very confusing because you may not even know it has alcohol in it," Banks said.

Another issue Banks has is the manufacturer's marketing strategies, which he believes are geared toward young people.

"If you go to their website, it's all geared toward young people ..." he said.

With their brains still developing, Banks said providing such a high-alcohol-content drink to young people can have increased negative consequences.

"They're not making the best decisions all the time, and when you compound the issue with alcohol and souped-up energy you're just asking for trouble," Banks added.