Caffeine: The Other White Powder

Caffeine: The Other White Powder
Culpeper Star Exponent
Nov. 18, 2008
Robert Legge

Alertness aid tablets such as No-Doz are usually banned at schools because
they contain 200 mgs. of caffeine, about twice as much as a cup of coffee.
Yet most schools allow children to bring energy drinks that may contain even
more caffeine. No-Doz must carry an FDA warning label, unlike energy drinks
which are classified as "supplements", a striking inconsistency.

And while energy drink makers like to tout all the other ingredients in
their products, make no mistake, without mega-doses of caffeine they would
not be increasing sales by 50% every year.

One popular energy drink- Monster- doesn't even say on its label how much
caffeine it contains. They hide it under a pseudo-ingredient "energy blend"
that includes other stimulants such as guarana.

Energy drinks are primarily marketed to a young male clientele with a
message of risk-taking. Monster "Assault" comes in a camouflaged-covered can
with a red "M" that appears to be made from dripping blood.

There are dozens more caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull, Jolt, Vault, Amp,
Nos, and Rock Star. Even Vitamin Water has a caffeinated version. But the
industry has seen an arms race of sorts with many energy drink start-ups
like "Cocaine" relying on higher and higher caffeine content.

But another company figured out that people just wanted the buzz, not
necessarily all the liquid. Caffeine-rich "5-Hour Energy" comes in 2-oz.
bottles, small enough to be displayed on any convenience store counter.
Products such as this are called energy "shots" as in "shots" of whiskey.


NFL stars Braylon Edwards and Osi Umenyiora shill 5-hour Energy. Apparently
the NFL thinks it is just fine to promote instant performance enhancement in
a little bottle as long as its unregulated by the FDA. No doubt young high
school athletes are the target audience. Even Red Bull says right on the can
"increases endurance". But the Virginia High School League has no
prohibition on using such products before or during games.

But caffeine is not just sold in liquid form. Kids can now enjoy their
morning oatmeal, potato chips, jelly beans, mints, and gum, all with a nice
little buzz. Some prefer their caffeine straight and there are plenty of
sources on the Internet such as partyenhancers.com where one can get
caffeine in powder form. Users can practice snorting inexpensive caffeine so
that they'll be all ready when they get access to high-priced cocaine.


Perhaps the most dangerous practices involving recreational use of caffeine
is mixing it with alcohol. Anheuser Busch promoted its Bud Extra, an
alcohol/caffeine beer with the tag line "You can sleep when you're 30".
Thankfully under pressure of 11 attorney's general they agreed to cease
production. But other brewers continue to mix the two drugs. Studies have
found that "wide-awake drunks" were more likely to engage in dangerous
behavior not realizing how impaired they were.

This is not going away. When a manufacturer can add a pennies worth of
caffeine and other stimulants to their products, charge another dollar, and
people still buy it, they're not going to stop. Caffeine has traditionally
been delivered via coffee- primarily an adult beverage. But by adding powder
caffeine to a super sweet product, drink makers, with some clever marketing,
have developed a whole new clientele of customers.

In sum, there are a number of concerns. First, is the issue of caffeine
intoxication, dependence, and withdrawal. The addition of caffeine to
alcohol increases the likelihood of alcohol-related injuries. Energy drinks
and shots will likely be a gateway to alcohol and drug use for many kids.
Young athletes looking for a competitive edge will surely be enticed by
these products.

As the president of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of
Pediatrics told me via email "There is no good reason for children and
teenagers to consume these products".

I couldn't agree more. FDA, how about you?