There is a proposal in South Carolina to ban the sale of energy drinks to anyone under 18 years old.
Parents of a 16-year-old boy who died from drinking too much caffeine are working with lawmakers to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else, The State reported.
Davis Cripe died last year after his family said the teen drank a latte, Diet Mountain Dew and an energy drink within two hours. He collapsed at school, and his cause of death was a "caffeine-induced cardiac event," CBS News reported.
If the law is passed, those who knowingly violate it would face a misdemeanor charge and at least a $50 fine, The State reported.
Officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said adults should not drink more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, or about five cups of coffee. One energy drink can contain up to 300 milligrams of caffeine, CBS News reported.
"Most of the cans, they put a label on there that says 'not recommended for children,' so I don't understand why we're selling them to children," Sean Cripe, Davis' father, told CBS News.
The South Carolina Beverage Association is against the proposed law, with officials saying, "a sales ban on any one product would be arbitrary and discriminatory."
Rep. Leon Howard, the lawmaker who wrote the legislation, told CBS News, "We treat it just like we do alcohol. In the state of South Carolina, a kid can't walk into a store and buy a beer, or buy cigarettes."
Cox Media Group contributed to this report.
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