04/18/2026
Did you know that we do not sell energy drinks to children under the age of 16? If a child is trying to by an energy drink they must produce proof of age; we will not take their word for it. Here is part of an article I copied that was on CBC this morning.
Zachary Miron died suddenly at age 15 in January 2024.
Radio-Canada’s Enquête team revealed in December that a combination of Red Bull and medication used to treat his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was to blame.
Now, the boy’s family has the backing of 21 school organizations — including private and public school administrations, parent committees and unions — in calling for a ban on the sale and distribution of energy drinks to Quebec youth under 16.
The Quebec federation of private schools, the Fédération des établissements d’enseignement privés (FEEP), supports the family and is backing a petition sponsored by Québec Solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard. It has garnered more than 19,500 signatures to date.
Cliche-Rivard said the support gives him "great hope," but also shows the "urgency to act."
Jasun Taparauskas, head of Miron’s school, Externat Sacré-Cœur in Rosemère, Que., said the community was deeply affected by the boy’s sudden death and is working to raise awareness within the school network. He said he is touched by the “unprecedented mobilization" and believes it reflects a "major concern shared by all stakeholders in the education network."
"This initiative stems from a real need on the ground and a responsibility that we feel deeply," said Taparauskas.
More than 20 per cent of young people take psychostimulants, and many also consume energy drinks, said Francis Côté, president of the Fédération québécoise des directions d’écoles (FQDE), the province’s largest association of school principals.
The FQDE has joined the organizations calling for tighter regulation of energy drink sales.
"We can no longer turn a blind eye. If we do not tighten the rules quickly, we are collectively accepting the risk of losing more lives,” said Côté.
The risks associated with energy drinks have been known for some time. Sales in Canada rose from $851 million to $1.1 billion between 2018 and 2022, according to market research firm Euromonitor.
Despite their popularity, experts say the drinks pose health risks and that parents and teachers should have open conversations with teens about them.
“Many of them don't really realize that energy drinks carry some potential negative health effects," said Dr. Olivier Drouin, a pediatrician and clinician scientist at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal.
Teenagers can experience symptoms such as jitteriness, heart palpitations, dehydration, increased heart rate and difficulty sleeping, Drouin said.
"Ritalin and company act similarly to caffeine, and so the problem is that you compound the effects," he said, noting the combination between psychostimulants and energy drinks can include the risk of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat.
Some countries have already restricted sales of energy drinks to minors. Poland, for example, has prohibited those under 18 from buying them since 2024. England is planning to ban the sale of highly caffeinated energy drinks to children under 16, and several others are considering similar measures.
