Before the Lampasas School District banned energy drinks this fall, high-school Principal Paul Weinheimer watched students down as many as two or three cans of Ghost or Alani Nu a day-the equivalent of six cups of coffee.

At Kline Whitis Elementary School across town, teachers saw fourth- and fifth-graders with miniature energy-drink cans packed into their lunchboxes. Administrators were surprised to catch Lampasas middle-schoolers tucking caffeine pouches under their lips.

Now energy drinks and caffeine pouches are on the school district's list of prohibited items, along with fireworks and firearms.

Energy-drink consumption had gotten out of hand in this central Texas school district. In the school year ended in May 2026, the district recorded 1,000 more visits to the nurse's office when compared with the year prior-driven by panic attacks and heart palpitations, telltale signs of caffeine overconsumption. Cans of popular drinks like Celsius, Ghost and Alani Nu have around 200 milligrams of caffeine, about twice as much as the average cup of coffee. Experts warn that caffeine can disrupt kids' sleep or, worse, increase their risk of high blood pressure or heart attacks.

Lampasas is part of a growing roster of school districts struggling with the prevalence of high-caffeine beverages in classrooms. Roughly one in five students in 10th and 12th grade reported drinking energy drinks daily in 2025-a record high, according to a University of Michigan survey of youth substance use.

"It was a common occurrence that students just pack up their backpacks and, instead of textbooks, they put energy drinks," said Weinheimer of life before the ban. He now combs the hallways for bright aluminum cans to seize and pour down the drain.

For beverage makers, high-caffeine cans represent a rare growth engine, creating a new market of young consumers, who could potentially stick with their drinks for years to come. Nearly one in four high-school seniors drinks these beverages daily, up from around one in six just four years ago, according to the University of Michigan study.

The industry has been able to grow this market, in part, by successfully fighting off government efforts to ban sales of energy drinks to minors. Statehouse bills to set minimum purchase ages have repeatedly stalled, in some cases facing industry pushback. Energy-drink makers' marketing strategies have involved advertising in videogame streams and college-sports broadcasts.

The American Beverage Association, an industry trade group, says the drinks are intended only for adults, pointing to age guidance in the fine print on the back of many cans. The makers of major energy drink brands like Celsius, Alani Nu, C4 and Ghost say they neither market nor give out free samples to consumers under 18.

Before the first bell rings at Lampasas High School, the parking lot at the local Circle K fills with teenagers stocking up on Ghost, Alani Nu and Monster.

When the district announced the ban on Facebook last month, there were rumors of a student revolt.

"'Everyone's going to hate this,'" senior Kenzie Stone, 17, remembers her friends saying when the ban was announced. "A lot of people are very reliant on them."

Krista Ellis, the district's head of school nurses, described the cans as a kind of status symbol-vibrant packaging paired with the thrill of a head rush. Syrupy sweet flavors make them more appealing to kids than coffee, she said. Brands including Ghost and C4 have partnered with confectioners to produce Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish and Starburst flavors. Industry executives say the co-branding targets adult nostalgia.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said energy drinks have no place in the diets of children and adolescents, warning that highly caffeinated beverages can interfere with sleep, raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attacks.

Concerns increased after a 17-year-old South Texas high-school cheerleader suffered a fatal heart attack late last year linked to energy drinks, according to a lawsuit. Her family sued a distributor of Alani Nu energy drinks, alleging their marketing targeted minors and the cans failed to adequately warn of their caffeine content.

The death prompted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to launch an investigation in June into the maker of Celsius and Alani Nu over energy drinks that he says are marketed to teens and children. The company disputes the characterization. Federal law places no age restrictions on buying or marketing high-caffeine beverages.

Other states have tried, unsuccessfully, to take action. A Connecticut bill failed last year that would have restricted sales of energy drinks to people under age 16. During a state hearing, industry representatives argued there was no evidence that energy drinks uniquely harm minors. By contrast, the U.K. has banned the sale of these drinks to kids younger than 16, and Poland has the same restriction for kids younger than 18.

Students in Lampasas see the drinks as a way to help them power through grueling schedules.

"If we got back super late from an away game and you got school the next day, it helps you get up and get going," said Lampasas senior and football player Brayden Crook, 17.

Ellis, who also fills in as a school nurse throughout the district, routinely sees students with elevated blood pressure and shaking hands, often after skipping meals and sometimes using energy drinks on top of prescribed ADHD stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin.

"They walk in feeling like their hearts are about to explode," Ellis said.

By lunch period in Lampasas High School, the morning high gives way to a crash.

"You see the deep fatigue when they come off of it," Weinheimer said. "They're tired, they're irritable, they're anxious."

For most healthy children, the effects of occasional caffeine consumption are mild-a brief spike in blood pressure or a case of the jitters, said Jennifer Temple, a caffeine researcher at the University at Buffalo. The adage that caffeine stunts growth stems from the chemical interrupting sleep, which actually can interfere with growth, she said.

But for children with heart conditions, the consequences can be fatal. A Mayo Clinic study found that nearly one in five youth who suffered sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death reported routine energy-drink use.

John Higgins, a cardiologist and researcher, said underlying heart conditions often go undetected in children. Typical school sports physicals miss about three-quarters of them, according to his research.

"If millions of children are drinking energy drinks, it's just a numbers game," said Higgins, who is also a professor at UTHealth Houston's medical school.

With the ban in place, Lampasas administrators say open cans have largely vanished from the hallways. But some students are just getting more discreet, pouring energy drinks into tumblers.

"Whatever the rule is, there are students who are still gonna find a way to get that energy," Weinheimer said.