The FDA Wants To Make Sure Inhalable Caffeine Canisters Are Safe Before You Huff

We already make jokes about being so addicted to caffeine we need a constant IV drip in order to function, so now that a company is making an inhalable form of the beloved substance, the Food and Drug Administration is preparing to check into things just to make sure it’s safe for consumers to go huffing away at it.

The makers of the AeroShot debuted their lipstick-sized product last month in Massachusetts and New York, says the Associated Press. You put one end of the canister in your mouth and breathe in, and a fine powder of caffeine and B vitamins is released that dissolves quickly. The amount is about the same as a large cup of coffee.

FDA officials want to make sure it’s safe as a dietary supplement, something the AeroShot’s inventors says is a sure thing, as it doesn’t have taurine or other additives used to spike caffeine effectiveness in other drinks. They add that the product when used according to the label, delivers a “safe” amount of caffeine, and that consumers should not use it more than three times a day.

They also aren’t marketing the product to anyone younger than 18 — which, of course, doesn’t mean kids won’t want to try it, which is exactly what worries some of its critics.

The FDA is investigating after Sen. Charles Schumer of New York met with FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg and she agreed to review the safety and legality of AeroShot.

“I am worried about how a product like this impacts kids and teens, who are particularly vulnerable to overusing a product that allows one to take hit after hit after hit, in rapid succession,” Schumer said. He is concerned that the canisters will be used as club drugs to keep kids going until the they drop, like Four Loko.

FDA to look into safety of caffeine inhalers [Associated Press]

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