Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is taking action against Urban Outfitters' "demeaning" new product line.
On Wednesday Bondi and a group of 22 other attorneys general from around the nation requested that the popular, "hip" company Urban Outfitters Inc., end its Prescription Line of koozies, shot glasses, and coasters resembling labels and bottles of prescription pills.
In a letter addressed to CEO Richard Hayne,the group of attorneys explained the products were undermining efforts of the AG to stop prescription drug abuse.
These products demean the thousands of deaths that occur each month in the UnitedStates from accidental overdoses, the AGs attest. These products are not in any way fun or humorous but make light of this rampant problem.
The prescription pill shot glasses and drink holders are featured in the Urban Outfitters' websites apartment section under the Kitchen + Bar category. Other items featured include glasses and flasks with various expletives on them.
This isnt the first time Urban Outfitters has received flak for its offensive products. In 2003, the company was criticized over a Monopoly parody called Ghettopoly. The game was slammed as racist by a St. Petersburg chapter of the NAACP.Just last year, Urban Outfitters pulled a controversial T-shirt off its shelves bearing a star resembling what Jewish citizens were forced to wear during the Holocaust. The company also had issues with trademark violations from the Navajo Nation in 2011.
Even though Urban Outfitters consistently straddles the line between innovative and just plain offensive, it doesnt appear to be stopping its sales. Its marketing model apparently is successful. Just this week the company reported a record 49 percent jump in quarterly profit.
It remains to be seen whether the company will pull its Prescription Line of products from shelves anytime soon.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen at Allison@sunshinestatenews.com.
