On Wednesday, the state of Washington joined the ranks of three other states banning drinks that contain alcohol and energy boosters. Four Loko, an alcoholic energy drink, was blamed for the alcohol poisoning of nine Washington college students a month ago. One student almost died.

Utah, Oklahoma, Michigan and Washington are the current states shunning the drinks. Central Washington University, the home of the nine students hospitalized, also bans the drinks, along with other campuses including the University of Rhode Island and Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Alcoholic energy drinks are available in California, and Fresno State students can find them as close by as the shelves of 7-Eleven on Shaw and Maple Avenues.

Alcoholic energy drinks, or AEDs, can be dangerous for a number of scientific reasons.

The combination of alcohol’s enhancement of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, and caffeine’s dampening of adenosine, also an inhibitory neurotransmitter, gives drinkers an odd combo of an upper and a downer. The caffeine in AEDs mitigates the effect of alcohol, making drinkers feel less intoxicated and capable of drinking more than they normally would.

Both the alcohol and caffeine in AEDs stimulate dopamine levels. The dopamine effect is only increased when alcohol and caffeine are consumed together, and some think this heightened level of dopamine makes AEDs more addictive than a normal beer.

Why are so many calling for bans on these drinks?

The bans are triggered partly because of the drink’s harmful effects, but also because some feel the drink is more appealing to youngsters because of its packaging and taste.

It’s true that the drinks are packaged in bright colors and they come in fruit flavors. However, Four Loko features seven warnings about alcohol on its can in large font.

AEDs come in flavors like fruit punch and lemonade, but coolers like Smirnoff Ice and Mike’s Hard Lemonade are equally sweet. A ban of AEDs on this basis would call other drinks into question as well.

If AEDs are banned completely, college students will continue to drink Jägerbombs, rum and Cokes, Irish coffees and other cocktails made with caffeine. AEDs have about the same amount of alcohol as wine, far less than the hard liquor that goes into energy drink cocktails.

Banning AEDs is not the answer to irresponsible drinking. AEDs are not the problem; the way some people drink them is.

Instead of banning AEDs, college campuses should continue to educate students on responsible drinking. Students and teens need to know the hazards of combining alcohol and caffeine so they can make responsible decisions about drinking, whether it’s Four Loko, a Jägerbomb or some other drink.