First Four Loko. Now Red Bull? Energy drink ban proposed in two states

[The Straight Story]

Energy drink ban proposed in two states

First Four Loko. Now Red Bull?

Last month legislators in New York and Kentucky began considering bans of energy drink sales to minors. The proposals come following a warning on alcoholic energy drinks by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and measures in several states outlawing their sale.

In December the Suffolk County Legislature in New York State held a public hearing on a bill that would ban the sale of energy drinks to anyone under age 19. The proposed bill in Suffolk, on the eastern end of Long Island, would target energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar, all of which invest heavily across action sports as sponsors of both events and athletes.

In Kentucky, Representative Danny Ford, a Republican state legislator from Mount Vernon, is considering a similar plan that would outlaw sales to anyone under 18.

In Suffolk County, the ban would target energy drinks with more than 80 milligrams of caffeine per serving, slightly more than the average soft drink. Stores that sell such beverages would be required to post signs warning customers of health risks associated with the products. Retailers would be fined $250 for failing to post the sign, and $500 for selling to minors.



http://sports.espn.go.com/action/fmx/news/story?id=5988028

[RB TexLa]

1. "Someone is enjoying something somewhere, we gotta put a stop to this shit"

[rurallib]

2. hold it? A repub legislator in Kentuck is proposing the gummint

act like a nanny state? Why that just can't be!

[meegbear]

3. Misleading headline ...

... New York State held a public hearing on a bill that would ban the sale of energy drinks to anyone under age 19.

In Kentucky ... is considering a similar plan that would outlaw sales to anyone under 18.

This is banning sales to minors. Four Loko was outright banned for sale to ANYONE. Big bloody difference.

[Odin2005]

4. Dumb, just dumb.

[catabryna]

5. As I sit here and enjoy my morning cup of coffee...

I can't help but be reminded of what Dr. Edell said many years ago... paraphrasing here, if caffeine were discovered in this day and age it would most certainly be deemed a danger to society and made illegal.

:donut:

[DBoon]

6. when espresso is outlawed

only outlaws will espress

They can have my latte when they pull it out of my cold foam-encrusted (with a shake of cinnamon) fingers

[krispos42]

7. Here's how I would solve the problem

Red Bull comes in a 250mL can, which contains 80mg of caffeine.

I would make the can with two chambers of 200mL. Each chamber would contain 64mg of caffeine. Re-define "serving" to be one of the chambers.

Then laugh and point at the regulators as they blast and thunder impotently from the bully pulpit.

[Erose999]

8. Typical Repub nanny state bullshit. Its OK to go after the Four Loko and the Red Bull that are

such dangers to kids, but...

God forbid the Gov't

require food businesses to display the nutrition information of their products

develop nutrition guidelines in an effort to combat childhood obesity

provide healthy school lunches.

We all know its these evil energy drinks that are the problem, and not our society that encourages people to over-consume. Rather than empowering people to make intelligent decisions, we should just make the decisions for them. Its less work that way. Thats the more efficient, small government solution.

:sarcasm:

[Erose999]

9. The irony here is that you can buy straight up caffiene pills at any supplement store.

If you take away their Red Bulls they will just go on the cigarettes or inhalants or heroin or autoerotic asphyxiation. These "moral panics" will never go away because nobody ever addresses the root of the problem: for some reason, kids want to get high.