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SALT LAKE CITY — A parent is crying foul after he says a vendor handing out samples gave his son an energy pill at Salt Lake Comic Con that had no listed ingredients on its packaging.
Homer Purdy said his 16-year-old son was showing him some of the things he collected at the enormously popular gathering this week at the Salt Palace Convention Center when he pulled out a blue pill.
"I thought, 'I don’t know what’s in that. There’s nothing on that label and nothing on that package that would tell me what’s in it, if it’s safe," Purdy said Friday. "I was a little alarmed."
Purdy's son told him that the vendor explained the pill was designed to give gamers energy so that they can play video games for a longer period of time. No ingredients were listed on the pill's individual package, he said.
"Red flags went up everywhere (and we said) 'hold on, you’re not putting anything in your mouth until we know what’s in it," Purdy said.
Purdy said he is troubled that an unmarked pill could be given indiscriminately to a minor.
"That they would give it to a minor, that they would give it to him without checking his medical conditions," he said. "It was upsetting at first. ... It didn’t look like there was any medical research that went with it."
Bren McRae, a salesperson for the company handing out the sample pills, Provo-headquartered Stimpack, said the energy supplement pills are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The pills include a level of caffeine, he said, that is equivalent to drinking one and a half cans of Mountain Dew and eating a chocolate candy bar.
"We wanted to design something that’s a healthy alternative to an energy ... drink," McRae said. "A lot of gamers are chugging those down. They have tons of sugar in them, they have artificial ingredients, so we wanted to create something a little bit healthier."
The pills also consist of Theobromine, L-Theanine, and Cyanocobalamin, which is an artificial version of vitamin B12. McRae said they are designed to give video game players — particularly competitive eSports players — the energy and focus needed to play for long periods of time. They provide energy for anywhere from two to seven hours, he said, depending on "how used you are to energy supplements (or) drinking a lot of coffee."
The pill, like other supplements, is not regulated and the vendor says it's safe.
Purdy, however, takes issue with the pill being characterized as safe.
"They’re saying it's safe, but safe for whom? Who was the test audience? Were there any adverse affects?" Purdy asked.
Daniel Chappell, a family doctor who practices medicine in Salt Lake City, Bountiful and Farmington, said the main concern over energy boosters is the risk for developing dependency.
"I think it’s very concerning, especially as a parent myself, having a child that potentially could (form) some sort of addiction ... to a supplement," Chappell said.
Noting that consistent use of energy boosters "definitely could have long term affects" on heart health, Chappell said the wisest way to keep high energy is get proper sleep, exercise and eat a healthy diet.
Purdy said he is also bothered that his son wasn't asked if he was at least 18 years old.
According to McRae, Stimpack salespeople "usually ask" customers if they're at least 18 years old before handing out samples.
"We usually ask them, (but) we don’t ID anybody right now," he said. "This is not a controlled substance. It’s not like we’re giving out alcohol or cigarettes or anything like that."
McRae said if someone is clearly not at least 18 years old, "we definitely send them away."
McRae said the pill's ingredients are listed on bottles next to where samples are being given away. A link to the company's website, where the ingredients are also listed, is displayed on the sample pills' packaging, he said.
"We do try our best to educate them here at the booth and then also give them a place to go where they can get the information," McRae said.
Purdy would like to see Stimpack and similar companies become more strict in their policies about selling to minors.
"I don’t have anything against wanting to do business. Just be careful," Purdy said. "Be careful that you’re not putting the product in the wrong hands that can cause problems. Just take extra precautions — double check, triple check to make sure that the right people are getting your product."
