Where is Absinthe Illegal At present?
Absinthe was prohibited
in many countries in the early 1900s but much of those countries have recently repealed their law concerning Absinthe and it’s now legal in most countries around the globe. In a few countries it’s still a crime, prosecutable by the police, to produce or supply Absinthe while others have thujone regulations.
So, where is Absinthe illegal?
The United States – The law of the USA states that only “thujone free” beverages could be sold in the USA. Fortunately test equipment used in the US enables Absinthe with 10 parts per million or less to pass through as “thujone free”. Quite a few suppliers develop Absinthe with low thujone levels therefore can sell their Absinthes legitimately.
France – “Absinthe” or “La Fee Verte” is still illegal in France, only spirits branded “spiritueux à base de plantes d’absinthe” can be sold. The EU regulates thujone levels and only Absinthes containing 10mg/kg of thujone or less are legitimate in the EU. France also regulates fenchone levels. Fenchone is actually a substance found in fennel. Absinthe producers should produce low fenchone Absinthes (5mg/kg or less) to trade in France even though normal Absinthe could be distilled in France.
The EU (European Union) – only Absinthes or alcohol that may contain 10mg/kg or less of thujone can be purchased or sold inside the EU. “Bitters” can contain approximately 35mg/kg of thujone.
Ireland – Absinthe is still illegal in Ireland however it can be shipped from abroad for private use.
Serbia – Alcohol that contains thujone is illegal in Serbia.
Why was Absinthe made illegal to start with?
Absinthe is actually a strong alcoholic drink, an intoxicant, which is served within an Absinthe glass and diluted with water which is poured over a cube of sugar on an Absinthe spoon.
Absinthe was thought to be considerably more than only a simple drink, it was thought of as similar to a drug. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the prohibition movement and medical profession were claiming that thujone, a substance in wormwood, was same to THC in cannabis and has been psychoactive. They assumed that it brought on psychedelic effects and also convulsions, brain damage, insanity and also death. It was even claimed that Absinthe would be to blame for a man murdering his pregnant wife and children despite the fact that he had only taken two glasses of Absinthe earlier that day, then lots of other types of liquor!
Absinthe was banned in 1912 in the USA, 1915 in France and several other countries banned Absinthe at this time. Governments was feeling that Absinthe was a real danger and one French politician notoriously said “If Absinthe isn’t restricted, our country will rapidly become an enormous padded cell where fifty percent the Frenchmen will likely be occupied putting straitjackets on the other half.”
However, we now know from research and from tests on Absinthe, these claims and accusations were just part of the mass foreboding of the time relating to alcohol as well as the drugs that have been freely available. Prohibitionists used Absinthe to fuel their anti-alcohol strategy.
Ted Breaux, an Absinthe distiller, analyzed vintage Absinthes with gas chromatography exams and, to his big surprise, learned that Absinthe only comprised trace levels of thujone – not enough to result in hallucinations, let alone causing damage to a person’s health. It would be impossible for any person to drink enough Absinthe to obtain any effects from the thujone, they will die of alcohol poisoning first! The only effects you will get from consuming a lot of Absinthe is a strange “clear headed” drunkenness cause by the mixture of herbs, many of which are of a sedative nature as well as others which are stimulants.
If you have trouble locating genuine Absinthe in your country, then you should think about making your own Absinthe from essences. AbsintheKit.com produce Absinthe essences for the Absinthe industry and also for the public. Their essences already are distilled and are made out of top-quality classic Absinthe herbs. Also, they are very inexpensive since a kit to make 14 bottles of Absinthe just cost $29 and this includes a handy measure and bottle labels too. All you have to do would be to merge the essence with vodka or Everclear – effortless!
So, don’t be concerned about where is Absinthe illegal, create your own!