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.”