bright Bulb: Belted in. Way to wear your seat belts, Marylanders. According to state highway officials, more than 93 percent of us wore seat belts this year. Let’s shoot for 100 percent next year. Buckle up and live, people.
OUTRAGE: Caffeine buzz
- Who: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- What: The FDA doesn’t currently require warning labels on energy drinks, and Johns Hopkins researchers are saying they should.
- Why it’s a good idea: Hopkins researchers, who have been studying the effects of caffeine for decades, say energy drinks should carry prominent warning labels. Roland Griffiths said in a statement that some drinks carry as much caffeine as 14 cans of Coca-Cola, and they carry no warning label about the actual amount of caffeine in the drinks. Griffiths even said some caffeine drinks like Blow and Cocaine could be a gateway to drugs. Those drinks, part of a $5.4 million market, are marketed mostly at teens and young adults. The risk of caffeine overdose is no joke, and it can lead to death.
- Why they are doing it: To be honest, the FDA is swamped. We get it. But something has to change. Energy drinks aren’t safe when consumed willy-nilly without a regard to the amount of caffeine.
- Where to vent: fda.gov
Quote of the day
“In spite of the soft economy, we remain the wealthiest state in the nation. … We just should not tolerate undue hardship to the folks who are at the lower end of our community’s prosperity.”
– Neil Bergsman, director of the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute
