Since laws limiting drug and alcohol use have been on the books, people have tried to figure out creative ways of getting around them. From bathtub gin to listerine, people have always found ways to get their kicks even with they weren't supposed to.
Teens have been especially creative in this respect, and now they've found a new way to get drunk underage, no fake ID necessary. WSB-TV Atlantareported that teens in Atlanta bought bottles of vanilla extract and poured it into their Starbucks coffee on their way to school. One of the students had to be taken to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. Vanilla Extract has a similar alcohol content to Vodka.
The school released a statement about the Trader Joe's brand vanilla extract that the students consumed. It read in part...
"This is not an indictment of Trader Joe's at all, but parents please be aware that this product contains 35 percent alcohol and we have discovered that some students have consumed this intoxicant. Another thing to keep an eye out for."
People were unsurprised.
@abc7newsbayarea Nothing knew. Did this in the 80's.— PhaidraSF (@PhaidraSF) 1551375009.0
@abc7newsbayarea I did that as a teen. It is delicious— California Matthew (@California Matthew) 1551377901.0
@abc7newsbayarea Ha ha ha ha. I did that FORTY YEARS AGO!!!!— Pith Viper (@Pith Viper) 1551374878.0
@abc7newsbayarea Kids were doing vanilla shots straight out of the bottle in the 60s— 🐾⚾️͏k͏o͏r͏b͏e͏l͏r͏e͏n͏o͏k͏i͏a⚾️🐾 (@🐾⚾️͏k͏o͏r͏b͏e͏l͏r͏e͏n͏o͏k͏i͏a⚾️🐾) 1551376190.0
Though some wondered how these kids were affording it.
@ABC7Chicago How? Vanilla extract is super expensive!— Hassan Martini (@Hassan Martini) 1551404632.0
@abc7newsbayarea That’s an expensive buzz— Marisa Thomason (@Marisa Thomason) 1551376950.0
Kids. What will they think of next?