A new aerosolized caffeine product, AEROSHOT, is set to hit market shelves in New York and Boston on midnight, January 15th (according to a countdown clock on the company’s website). NCPP staff signed up to receive a free sample of the product, and detailed pictures are included in the gallery below.
The buzz around this new product, which delivers 100mg Caffeine, along with 20mg Niacin, 2mg Vitamin B6, and 6mcg Vitamin B12 in each 300mg dose, is that the marketing materials seem to show the product being used in party settings in bars/clubs. This can potentially have dire consequences, as consumers of this product may not heed the warning on the outer packaging to not exceed more than three aeroshots per day (see gallery for picture) [Oddly enough, no additional labeling is to be found on the product itself, once you remove the protective plastic wrapper.]
While the intended consumers of this product are perhaps college students and workers who need a pick-me-up, the real concern seems to be children and teens using this product irresponsibly. In contrast to drinking a cup of coffee, or taking a caffeine pill, AEROSHOT provides a cool, portable, and easy way to get a caffeine buzz via its nifty delivery system in which you put your mouth over the top of the tube and take a puff to receive a dose of flavored, powdered caffeine. The AEROSHOT tube is relatively nondescript, and can easily be mistaken for a mini highlighter, or tube of lip balm. This product might be yet another item of concern for school teachers and administrators, who could soon be dealing with youth with caffeine overdoses.
The questions we at the North County Prevention Partnership would like to ask is: What sorts of regulation and policy will we see regarding AEROSHOT and similar products? Will there be an age limit in order to purchase this product? Will there be a maximum allowable quantity per person, per day? What can Breathable Foods Inc. –the company behind AEROSHOT– do to prevent abuse of their product? WILL they prevent abuse of their product?
Take a look at the news clips below, and check out our photo gallery. What do you think?
Clip 1: Fios1 News
Clip 2: ABC News
Company website: http://aeroshots.com/
Note: After taking 1 hit of the product to try it, I must say, it’s quite intense. The lime flavor is somewhat effective to mask the otherwise bitter taste of powdered caffeine, but you still get the feeling that you’re somehow taking medicine (if you can call it that). I sipped some of the powder I spilled on my hand. About 10 minutes after photographing and sampling this product, I developed a very mild headache that lasted for about 20 minutes. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly sensitive to caffeine, as I drink pretty strong coffee daily to function, but it must be that the aerosolized delivery method of this product contributes somehow to faster absorption of the drug. -A.L.