Cocaine (the Drink) Banned; Is Opium (the Perfume) Next?

Several months ago, we blogged about a controversy over a high-caffeine drink called Cocaine. Now it has been pulled from shelves nationwide. Its producer, Redux Beverages of Las Vegas, was disappointed — and, based on this quote Redux partner Clegg Ivey gave to the Associated Press, a bit confused: “[W]e intended for Cocaine energy drink to be a legal alternative the same way that celibacy is an alternative to premarital sex.” Huh?

Anyway … shortly after blogging about Cocaine, I came across an expensive little ad insert for Opium, a line of perfume created in 1977 by Yves Saint-Laurent. Here is one description of its allure: “Opium arouses the senses with an exotic blend of lush florals, rich spices, and deep wood notes.”

While it is true that Opium has been the source of controversy — see this Wikipedia article — that controversy was in fact centered on an ad picturing a naked woman, and not the druggy name.

So here’s my question: If Cocaine the energy drink is pulled because it’s supposed to have a bad influence on the teenagers who drink it, shouldn’t Opium the perfume be pulled because it’s supposed to have a bad influence — deep wood notes, remember — on the well-heeled women who anoint their bodies with it?