According to the Associated Press, a bill banning the sale of pure caffeine products in Ohio cleared the state House on May 27, one year after a high school senior overdosed on a powdered form of the stimulant and died. The legislation would make it a misdemeanor offense to sell products consisting solely or primarily of caffeine that’s manufactured into a crystalline, liquid, or powdered form.
Caffeine powder is usually marketed as a dietary supplement and is unregulated, unlike caffeine added to soda. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t have the legal authority to just pull such a substance off the shelves, but the agency has been building a legal case against those who are marketing it in bulk to get them to stop. The bill also prohibits the sale of powdered or crystalline alcohol, which can be added to any beverage to make it an alcoholic drink. The Senate, which passed an earlier version of the measure, would have to agree to the House changes.
