Administrators at North Middle School sent an email to families warning them about students bringing caffeine pouches to class. The tobacco-free pouches can pack high levels of caffeine and closely resemble nicotine pouches — a combination that led school officials to ban them outright.
WATCH BELOW: CAFFEINE POUCHES GET THE BOOT AT A MENOMONEE FALLS SCHOOL—WHY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION SAYS THEY'RE BRINGING THE BAN
The pouches are small packets filled with powdered, flavored caffeine that users place between their gum and lip. There are no legal age restrictions to buy caffeine pouches, but buyers must be 21 to purchase tobacco and nicotine pouches. Because school staff cannot easily tell the two apart, administrators moved to ban caffeine pouches across the board.
Many parents said they received the email but had no idea the pouches were an issue at the school. Some were unaware of what caffeine pouches were entirely.
Carol, a bus driver, said she first learned about the issue after overhearing students talking about the pouches.
"I've read about it and I've talked with another fellow bus driver about what's going on. This is like the new thing that's going on for teenagers or whatever," Carol said.
She compared the pouches to other products students have tried to sneak into school.
"It's another disguise. Something where students aren't supposed to have it and it's coming in a packet and it's like caffeine added and it's not good for you just like vaping," Carol said.
Carol also expressed doubt about whether the ban will be enough to stop students from using the pouches.
"You can tell them and you can tell them. They're going do, I guess, what they wanna do anyways," Carol said.
Experts say children ages 12 to 18 should consume no more than 100mg of caffeine per day, and recommend none at all for children younger than 12. That daily maximum for teens equals approximately 2 pouches from a standard pack.
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