US to ban energy drinks?

[Doodlebug1980]

http://www.chinchinjobs.com/news/Article/america-looks-to-ban-non-alcoholic-energy-drinks-including-red-bull-1075

This proposed law sounds ridiculous to me. It's up to adults to decide what they put in their bodies. How can you ban caffeinated energy drinks when there are plenty of other incredibly unhealthy food and drinks on the shelves?

And where would this leave really strong coffees, like double/ triple espressos?

[CFT]

Good point. If only legislators applied some logic to law making.

Legislator Lynn Nowick put forward the proposals, saying: These drinks are potentially dangerous for teens.

"Why put foreign things in your body when you don't know what's going in to them? The drinks are not regulated."

I'd reckon you know pretty much what is in these drinks - just look at the ingredients and "nutritional" information on the can.

[Dakki]

This bill was introduced in Suffolk County, NJ, not the whole of the US, and it bans the sale of extremely high caffeine content drinks to minors. No need to panic yet, unless you're a minor and actually live there, I guess?

(The article you linked also got the name of the legislator wrong. She's Lynne, not Lynn, Norwick, at least according to her Facebook profile.)

Anyway, however anyone feels about it, there's no principle that adults can put anything they like in their bodies - we have drug laws, after all. Neither is there a principle that manufacturers can put unsafe amounts of things in their products, which seems to be what the bill is about.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Dakki (log)

[CFT]

If it is purely about caffeine content then they'd have to legislate against tea & coffee too.

e.g. a 6.5oz can of Starbucks Double Shot contains 130mg of caffeine. Well above the proposed limit of 80mg. I'd imagine that a "regular" double espresso will be above the limit. How about that? Showing ID to buy a cup of coffee!

http://www.energyfiend.com/caffeine-content/starbucks-double-shot