Maine: Wright Pinkham

AUGUSTA, Maine — The sale of high-caffeine “energy drinks” to minors could be outlawed if a proposal under consideration this week by Maine lawmakers is approved. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Peggy Pendleton, D-Scarborough, says consuming the sodalike drinks can cause health problems in young people, but a spokesman for the Maine Beverage Association argued that an age limit is unnecessary and unenforceable.

Other bills heard on Wednesday before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee include a proposal to prohibit smoking on Maine’s state park beaches and another to routinely include a patient’s HIV status as part of medical information exchanged between health care providers.