Quebec is considering banning the sale of energy drinks to minors under the age of 16.
Health Minister Sonia Bélanger says she’s reflecting on the idea after meeting the family of a 15-year-old who died after drinking Red Bull.
David Miron and Veronica Martinez are the parents of 15-year-old Zachary Miron. After speaking with Bélanger, they feel they’re one step closer to paying a meaningful tribute to their late son.
“What we’re living right now, nobody should have to go through that,” Martinez told reporters at the National Assembly
Zachary was on a school ski trip at Morin Heights in 2024 when he drank a Red Bull after having taken medication that morning to treat his ADHD.
“They bought a Red Bull from the vending machine in the cafeteria, so he drank the Red Bull, and it was in the chair lift that his heart stopped. That was the end,” she explained.
The parents said their son was perfectly healthy and wouldn’t have known that the energy drink could react badly with his medication.
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“If this kind of situation can happen to a boy like that, I mean, nobody is safe. That’s why we’re here,” said Martinez.
The late teen’s parents believe the beverages should be banned for people under 18.
Their official National Assembly petition demanding the province ban the sale of energy drinks to minors has garnered about 15,000 signatures. It’s sponsored by Quebec Solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who joined them in their meeting with the health minister.
“I really felt she was moved and touched by their testimony and I felt like she came with options in her hand,” said Cliche-Rivard.
The petition points out that England, Norway, Latvia and Lithuania have all voted to ban the sale of energy drinks to minors, and that Quebec Public Health officials are in favour of the idea.
“We’re really going to look into the possibility of completely banning energy drinks starting at age 16, and maybe even from age 18,” Belanger said.
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The minister says she is meeting with experts in the coming days to discuss the matter.
“I fundamentally personally believe, and this is what the science is saying as well, that 18 should be the appropriate age,” said Cliche-Rivard.
The Canadian Beverage Association says caffeine is found in a wide range of commonly consumed products, including coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate, and should not be singled out in one category.
The group adds that a 250-millilitre energy drink typically contains about 80 milligrams of caffeine, similar to a cup of instant coffee or a single espresso, and notes that coffee and tea are consumed in higher amounts than energy drinks in Quebec.
It also says supplemented foods, including energy drinks, are subject to strict federal labelling rules and a per-serving caffeine limit of 180 milligrams.
The association argues public health measures should focus on scientific evidence and consumer education, warning that targeting a single source of caffeine could lead to unintended consequences.
The boy’s parents and Cliche-Rivard hope a transpartisan bill to bring forth the ban can be created and passed before the end of the current National Assembly session.
People in grief have a need to find meaning or displace blame. Taking amphetamine should come with drug interaction warnings, though a red bull is about 1 cup of coffee by itself.
Wouldnt the adhd medication be just as much if not more to blame as the energy drink? Im sure energy drinks don’t react with as many things as the medication does..
Curious has it so right.
The article is so wrong when it claims “The parents said their son was perfectly healthy”. He was not… he was on medication. He did not “die after drinking Red Bull”, he died after drinking a Red Bull while on medication. I am sure the meds warned about taking it with alcohol or caffine.
What if he died after drinking a family sized cola (as teens do), or couple of espressos.
This is for sure a tragedy and condolences to the parents no one should lose a child. If we are looking at a reaction between medication and caffine it seems disproportionate to attack energy drinks. As (1) can of redbull is equal in caffine content to (1) regular cup of coffee. You aren’t going to lobby to ban coffee\tea for minors\youth so why attack the products. Would it not be better to impose education on the risks of medication reactions or the actual effects of caffine\ other legal stimulants on the body. When I was young we weren’t taught those things and I think it would he more beneficial to promote education on a subject, especially for someone who takes daily medications. Education should be made available through public health for both youth and parents or at the very least it should be explained by the prescribing doctor and or the pharmacist that dispenses the medication.