Chicago Alderman: Ban the Sale of Energy Drinks to People Under 21

Ray Latif|November 21, 2012 11:28 am

Chicago alderman George Cardenas

Should energy drinks be age-restricted? A prominent elected official in Chicago thinks so.

Stating that he doesn’t “want kids dying because of something that shouldn’t be in their hands,” Chicago alderman George Cardenas has proposed banning the sale of energy drinks to individuals under the age of 21, according to a recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times. Cardenas’s plan comes after last week’s revelation that the consumption of energy drinks to a number of deaths since 2005, including that of a 14 year old girl last December.

Cardenas, who is the chairman of the Chicago City Council’s Health Committee, wants to have health experts testify before his committee to discuss the safety of energy drinks and how consumption of highly-caffeinated drinks affects minors.

“If the experts say the ingredients are such that young people are more susceptible to these types of stimulants and their bodies can’t handle it, we have to act on that,” Cardenas told the Times. “We don’t want to have a situation where children are at risk.”

tom k

This guy is an idiot and should not be allowed to ever talk in public. He sends 18 year olds to war to die but they can’t drink an energy drink. Let’s ban coffee too!
A

I think they should make it the same age as cigarettes, war, etc. 18 is fine. 21 is excessive.
Doug K

If he doesn’t “want kids dying because of something that shouldn’t be in their hands” is he proposing raising the legal age to drive a car to 21? I am no fan of these highly caffeinated products, but personal responsibility must be taken. We don’t need a politician legislating this.
Matt

Perhaps we should ban swimming in the ocean next time a person gets attacked by a shark. Or maybe we can try responsible parenting (ie not letting a young girl consume EXCESSIVE amounts of anything). You’re not fooling anyone Mr. Cardenas, there are bigger and more important issues for you to try and get re elected on – go bark up another tree, or better stated move beyond crying mothers to pin your campaign to.
Axel M.

Energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar contain around the same amount, give or take (although they usually have less) than coffee in a same size serving. George Cardenas’ stance on this is ridiculous, he should be banned from public appearances like this if he’s just gonna try to trying get “me, look at me” attention like that.
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John C. Ward

Just ban everything! This guy is insane !
By

All the people calling him an idiot are idiots. If you really believe he cares your stupid he is shaking down energy drink companies for money that’s all I see going on here
JR

The next time someone wants to ban or put age requirements, bring up the fact that millions of americans, including teenagers drink coffee. A Mocha at starbucks has more caffiene than a 16 oz red bull. My point is, start bringing in the coffee side, and all this talk of energy drink bans will go away. Can you imagine the reaction from soccer moms on banning high caffiene coffee drinks?
http://www.facebook.com/matt.marcuccilli Matt Marcuccilli

well, i believe this is another act of America. A few idiotic kids die from doing something that they were clearly not supposed to do, in this case drinking more the CAN CLEARLY SAYS NOT TO, so America bans it from everyone who isn’t being stupid. The same principle goes with a few “No turn on red”. A few people die because a couple idiots blew a red light and hit the person turning left. With the case of energy drinks, a few kids die from drinking 5 Monsters. Well what did you expect?! The can says, and i quote, ” Consume 1 can every 4 hours, not exceeding 3 cans in 24 hours.” a kid chugs 2 in 5 minutes, exceeding the 4 hour limit and approaching the daily limit, and unfortunately passes. I think the government should, in fact, tell parents to be more aware of what their teens drink, but i don’t think we should let 3 dumb kids ruin it for the MILLIONS of smart ones only consuming 1 every now and then, simply for the delicious taste.
chris

Typical Chicago idiot politician. I’m sure that if Red Bull gave this guy’s kid a distributorship he’d change his tune. Jesse could show him how it’s done.

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Chicago Alderman: Ban the Sale of Energy Drinks to People Under 21

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