Meth In Coffee? Meth Coffee Criticized in Chicago

Meth Coffee Criticized in Chicago

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan took a stand against getting your morning coffee buzz. She’s fighting drugs by asking a San Francisco company to stop selling its coffee in Chicago. Madigan wrote to Doll God LLC, makers of Meth Coffee, demanding that they stop what she has coalled “misleading marketing and sale of coffee”. Meth Coffee doesn’t actually contain methamphetamine, and it’s doubtful that Madigan believes that anyone thinks it does. Instad, she cited the devastating impact that meth has had on communities across the state.

Because of that, she threatened that if the company didn’t voluntarily stop selling and marketing Meth Coffee in Illinois, her office would sue the company for fraudulent and deceptive business practices on the basis of its comparison to illicit drugs.

In her letter, Madigan stated, “Significant resources have been devoted to combating the methamphetamine epidemic in our state, and we are deeply concerned that your marketing of Meth Coffee will perpetuate the use of this devastating drug.”

Madigan won the battle, but may have made her office the butt of jokes and a laughingstock. The makers of Meth Coffee voluntarily stopped selling in Illinois, stating on their web site that Meth Coffee is no longer available for sale in the state of Illinois. The whole thing leaves me wondering how much the makers of Meth paid the AG for the advertising. This is the kind of advertising you just can’t buy. Frankly, as much as I like to keep up with the coffee world, I hadn’t heard of Meth Coffee before Lisa Madigan decided that it posed a threat to her constituents. Now I’m determined to try the super-caffeinated coffee drink for myself.

What’s the Buzz?

Meth Coffee plays on the addict meme, with package copy that reads, “chew them whole, snort the powder dry, cook it over a lighter and huff…”
Chances are that someone will probably try it – but seriously, it’s a parody, folks. And the makers of Meth Coffee actually take addiction and recovery pretty seriously. In a statement released on their web site on July 31, the day after Madigan went public with her letter, the Meth Coffee company said:

Meth Coffee was founded by a group of comedians, artists, and rebels, some of whom are in recovery from methamphetamines.

For us, recovery from addiction is no joke — but Meth Coffee is. Richard Pryor, Mad Magazine, and other comedy geniuses have unleashed dark, satiric comedy about drugs for years, and to positive effect. Such comedy is dark, edgy, and raw. Though it may not appeal to some, it’s the kind of comedy that appeals to us and our thousands of customers, many of whom are in recovery like us. Making fun of meth culture is our way of taking a jab at the effects meth addiction has had on us and our friends. As proof, we’re proud to be a co-sponsor of the 2008 Comedy Addiction Tour (www.comedyaddictiontour.com), a group of professional comedians who perform nationwide for recovery groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. The 2008 tour starts August 13th this year in San Francisco.