The other white powder

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 megadoses of caffeine they would not be increasing sales by 50 percent 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 startups 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 ‘ine “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, are the issues 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 e-mail “There is no good reason for children and teenagers to consume these products.”

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

Robert Legge is a community columnist and resident of Madison County. His column appears every other Thursday.  E-mail