health safety
Why doesn&#39;t caffeine come with a drowsiness warning?
<p>Recent studies have proven that regular use of caffeine and subsequent omission or withdrawal results in drowsiness and inattention - (due to changes in the brain to increase the number of sleepiness indicators to offset caffeine's effect). </p>

<p>Many drugs warn not to drive or operate machinery if they cause drowsiness. It seems arguable that caffeine has an obviously delayed effect but still ultimately causes drowsiness (and it's also more than a natural level of drowsiness because of side effects of caffeine use). </p>

<p>How does caffeine escape this regulation and the consequences of it? (e.g. if someone crashes car after forgetting their regular coffee earlier in day, who is liable?)</p>

<p>Generally speaking, coffee is regulated as a food and not as a drug, even though it contains caffeine. Caffeinated beverages are similarly regulated as foods and not drugs. Foods do not need to carry the kinds of warning labels that drugs contain, instead, they are subject to different labeling requirements.</p>

<p>This may not be rational, but historically, this is how the division of authority was handled, and it has never changed.</p>

<p>I don't know personally how caffeine packaged as a drug, rather than as part of a food product is regulated (e.g. NoDoze tablets).</p>
