‘Caffeine cops’

There must not be much to do in Augusta when they start to target caffeine drinks (“Bill would ban selling energy drinks to minors,” BDN, Feb. 20). The proposal, if I understand correctly, would force manufacturers of these products to label them differently in Maine than in other states. Another reason Maine is a good place to do business. I’m sure the corner grocer will have to check IDs for people buying these drinks, with fines for any deviations. Since law enforcement officers have better things to do, we’ll probably have to hire some caffeine cops.

Apparently this proposal applies only to those drinks with more than 80 mg of caffeine in them. With all the money we spend on education, our kids will be able to figure out that they need to buy two of those.

If caffeine is so bad, perhaps we also need a new law: driving under the influence of caffeine. It seems I read about it everyday, how a caffeine fiend drove off the road, or beat his wife and kids. This will take weeks if not months of debate in the Legislature. I guess it’s all worth it if it puts an end to the ashen, drawn-out faces of my kids after they’ve consumed the evil drink. We should put everything else on the back burner while we get this done because I don’t want to get a call on prom night that my kids are being held at the police station because they were stopped with multiple empty Pepsi bottles in the back seat.

I think the Legislature should do what we elected them to do and let us raise our kids.

Bill Belanger

Caribou