Prince Edward Island is buzzing with talk of how to keep energy drinks away from children. Since the province lifted its long-standing ban on canned beverages, enacted to protect both the environment and local bottling jobs, the highly caffeinated, sugary elixirs have proven popular, particularly among junior-high students. Some are guzzling several of the drinks — which can contain more than three times the maximum daily intake of caffeine Health Canada recommends for kids — over the lunch break. "They end up vibrating," says Dr. Sandy MacDonald, superintendent of the Eastern School District. The bouts of extreme energy can be followed by dizziness, nausea and headaches, prompting some schools to call parents to pick up their caffeinated kids.

Since energy drinks arrived on the Island, several schools in the Western School District have sent notes home advising parents to keep the beverages — which aren't sold in schools — out of kids' lunches. And the Eastern School District Principals Association recently took it up a notch, calling on the province to ban the sale of the drinks to anyone under the age of 19 — legislation similar to that in place in several European countries and currently under review in some U.S. jurisdictions. For now, a spokeswoman for the provincial health department says that's not on the "priority list." But the education department is helping school boards revise their nutrition policies, and could ban the drinks from school properties in the fall.

Bans are in place in several American schools, but it appears P.E.I. school boards would be setting a precedent in Canada. In the meantime, some convenience stores are taking the matter into their own hands. The Community Market in North Rustico won't sell energy drinks to anyone under the age of 16. "We've had compliments from parents in doing it," says assistant manager Tracy Costello. Probably a wise move — last year, several Colorado students had to seek medical attention after consuming SPIKE Shooter, which contains an herbal stimulant and as much caffeine as three cups of coffee.

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