Energy drink ban continues despite criticism

Irma Lemus

BURBANK -- A month after the Burbank Unified School District banned

Red Bull and other energy drinks, the school district has not backed down

despite criticism from parents and local retailers.

In an Oct. 17 memo, the district banned all energy drinks and tablets

from the city’s campuses, but only named Red Bull and Speed Stack in the

advisory.

The ban was instituted after two John Burroughs High School football

players fainted during practice. The incident was attributed to their

consumption of two cans each of Red Bull and possibly one Speed Stack

drink, officials said.

Neither student had eaten that day, officials added.

Janet White, whose son attends Burroughs, said the ban was not well

thought-out.

“If you take these drinks on an empty stomach, you are going to get

sick,’ White said. “I just think the district should have researched the

drinks before banning them.”

She said district officials should clearly outline which energy drinks

are considered harmful in order to avoid confusion.

Noting that she drinks a natural energy beverage made from herbs,

White asked rhetorically, “If I tell my son that it’s OK to drink it,

will he be in trouble?

“[The students] should have been much more responsible,” White said.

“If those kids had downed Pepsis instead of Red Bull they would have

still passed out.”

High levels of caffeine and ephedrine -- an herbal supplement with

possibly hazardous side effects -- were the reasons for the ban,

according to district officials. Red Bull does not contain ephedrine,

although Speed Stack does.

The students’ illness had to do with the lack of food and not Red

Bull, said Emmy Cortes, Red Bull corporate communications manager, who

maintained the ban was ridiculous.

Cortes said a can of the drink is equivalent to one cup of coffee. The

drink is mostly made of taurine, a natural amino acid, and

glucuronolactone, which removes toxins from the body. Both are proven

safe, she said.

Contrary to reports, Red Bull and Speed Stack have not been banned in

the United States or abroad, said Ruth Welch, spokeswoman for the Food

and Drug Administration.

Welch said the agency allows the sale of the drinks, but is

researching drinks like Speed Stack that contain ephedrine.

Some retailers say there has been little dropoff in sales of Red Bull.

Bhupinder Singh, manager of the 7-Eleven across the street from

Burroughs where the students reportedly bought the drinks, said he had

not heard complaints from customers.

“[Red Bull] is very popular. A lot of people come and buy it before

they go to work,” Singh said. “Some kids come in after school to buy it.”

Singh said Red Bull is as popular as coffee, sodas and ginseng energy

tablets, which students also purchase.

The manager said that on average, he sells about six cases of Red Bull

a week, a total of about 140 cans.

Despite continued popularity, Burroughs principal Emilio Urioste

stands by the district’s decision to ban the drinks.

“If a label says that it’s not intended for children under 18 and even

states that death could be a side effect, then we have a right to be

worried,” Urioste said, citing the label on Speed Stack.

Urioste said he does not believe the district was overreacting by

imposing the ban.

“We do have soda and coffee machines on campus, but I’ve never seen a

Folgers can state death as a possible side effect,” he said.

Burroughs parent Susan McKenzie said she agreed with the ban.

“If the label says that it’s not for children under 18, then the

school is right,” McKenzie said.

Vic Pallos, Glendale Unified School District spokesman, said the

district was not planning to emulate the Burbank ban, but did say

officials were concerned.

“What happened in Burbank should send a warning sign to all young

people. They should be careful not to take these drinks on an empty

stomach,” he said.