Police should crack down on kids who buy too many energy drinks, said one Los Angeles City councilman who wants tougher regulations on the caffeine-filled beverages.
Councilman Bernard Parks, who used to head the L.A. Police Department, wants more warning labels on the energy drinks, NBC reported.
He also wants police to have the ability to enforce restrictions on purchases, with an aim at saving the youth population from adverse health reactions to such drinks as Monster, that contain 240 milligrams of caffeine per 24-ounce can, NBC said.
That’s way more than what’s recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which just released a report blaming five deaths in 2012 on Monster overload, he said, NBC reported.
“[In] many instance, they are drinking seven to 10 times more caffeine than if they were drinking a regular soda,” Mr. Parks said, in the NBC report. “I think it is the FDA’s job primarily to set standards, but we as a city can do something as far as purchase location, labeling and who gets access.”
Mr. Parks also recommended that the drinks could be strategically placed on store shelves so children wouldn’t reach for them and that the city research offices undertake further studies of the drinks’ effects, NBC reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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