It seems that James Kirby, the man behind the energy drink “Cocaine“, has got his wish: controversy.

As I noted at the beginning of the week, Kirby had remarked that despite the product’s website having received a massive amount of traffic in recent weeks, little controversy had followed.

Well, that changed, after some New York Democrat lawmakers organised a news conference this week at City Hall to denounce the product’s brand name as the height of irresponsibility and call for the local health authority and consumer affairs department to look into the matter, hoping for a boycott of the product, which is only sold in a handful of stores in New York.

Kirby was unfazed, happy that his mission had so far been successful, identifying the criticism as coming from “super-right-wing groups”. (A quick glance down the list of critics cited in the New York Times article - including Professor Marion Nestle of NYU - belies his claim).

As for the substance of the criticism over the name, he retorted that most people would “know the difference between an energy drink and a Class A narcotic”. Perhaps. He also added that the name involved a lot of “irony and wordplay.” Oh, please.