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While the use of caffeine pouches among teenagers remains relatively rare, experts and educators are concerned that may be about to change.
Marketing aimed at teenagers of such products is spreading on social media. A school resource officer for the Boise County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho, David Gomez, began noticing the use of caffeine pouches last spring, according to NBC News. The pouches can contain more than 200 milligrams of caffeine, and students have been using them along with nicotine pouches such as Zyn.
Gomez noted that students would use the pouches as a disguise for nicotine pouches or they’ll use both.
“They’ll use the Zyn pouches that they put in their lip, and then they’ll take a caffeine pouch,” said Gomez. “They don’t care what it is they’re putting in their lip.”
Richard Mumby is a marketing executive who was part of the launch of the e-cigarette Juul, which has been accused of initiating a wave of teen vaping. He’s now back with a caffeine pouch startup known as Wip.
A growing market is now trying to sell Americans on pouches as an alternative to caffeinated beverages.
Mumby told NBC News that caffeine is part of “the fabric of many Americans’ everyday lives.” But he said there’s room to improve.
Wip and other companies are marketing caffeine pouches as a portable and affordable alternative to caffeinated drinks. It’s a mix between nicotine pouches and energy drinks, placed between the lip and the gums to deliver the caffeine.
Pouches, most of which do not contain nicotine, tend to last between 20 minutes and an hour, but their effect can go on for longer.
Wip’s flavors include mint, strawberry kiwi, and sour cherry, and each comes with 100 or 200 milligrams of caffeine, which is the same as about two cups of coffee. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, that’s half the amount of caffeine an adult can safely consume in an entire day.
“We take responsible caffeine consumption and responsible marketing of our product seriously,” a spokesperson for Wip told NBC News. “While there are no legal age restrictions on caffeine products, we have adopted marketing guidelines that exceed the age-related standards set by the American Beverage Association for most common energy drinks. Wip is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18, and our guidelines ensure the product is marketed responsibly.”
Exercise and nutrition sciences professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, Rob van Dam, studies caffeine. He shared concerns about the potency of some of the pouches being sold.
“It may be a bit different than coffee,” he told NBC News. “It may hit faster, and you may overdose, in a way, more quickly.”
Another worry is the possible popularity among teens, as nicotine pouches and energy drinks are already widespread. Zyn maker Philip Morris has previously told NBC News that “Zyn’s marketing is directed toward legal age nicotine users who are 21+.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that teens don’t consume more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day. The chair of the AAP’s Committee on Nutrition, Dr. Mark Corkins, told NBC News that it would be better if teens avoided caffeine altogether.
“Caffeine, in general, is an area we are very concerned about,” he said. “Pouches are just another delivery form.”
