JAY GOLDBERG: The nanny state marches on with a war on caffeine

Better education, not a ban, is the better option

Published Jul 30, 2026  •  3 minute read

Veronica Martinez and David Miron, parents of Zachary Miron, shake hands with Quebec Health Minister Sonia Belanger during a press conference on a bill to ban energy drink sales to kids under 16 in the lobby of the National Assembly in Quebec City on June 5, 2026. Photo by Francis Vachon /Francis Vachon

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The nanny staters are on the warpath once again, this time in Quebec.

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Last month, Quebec’s National Assembly fast-tracked a bill into law that banned the sale of energy drinks to anyone under the age of 16.

The government of Premier Christine Fréchette stated that the motivation for the law was in response to the death of 15-year-old Zachary Miron in January 2024. He died on a school trip after consuming a Red Bull energy drink while also taking prescription ADHD medication.

Understandably, Miron’s parents were stricken with grief and have since become advocates for restricting youth access to energy drinks.

Zachary Miron died in January 2024 after consuming an energy drink whose ingredients interacted with medication prescribed for his ADHD. Photo by Courtesy of the Miron-Martinez family /CNW Group/Collège de Montréal

But it’s not energy drinks that killed Miron. According to the coroner, Miron died because the caffeine in the Red Bull he drank interacted with his ADHD medication. Doctors have warned that caffeine can magnify the impact of stimulant drugs, which is precisely what ADHD medication is.

Instead of better educating the public about the need to be cautious when consuming caffeine and taking stimulants at the same time, the Quebec government has turned to an outright ban on selling energy drinks to kids under 16.

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Yet this ban won’t even address the issue of kids accessing drinks with high levels of caffeine, and it opens the door to a whole host of other problems.

Consider that Health Canada has set 80 milligrams as the ceiling for caffeine that can be contained in an energy drink. Yet a medium coffee from Tim Hortons, which is available at literally thousands of locations across Canada, contains 205 milligrams.

Is the Fréchette government now going to ban coffee for those under the age of 16?

The coroner’s warning about the interaction of caffeine with ADHD medication should apply equally to all forms of caffeine. Simply targeting energy drinks is a theatrical ploy that may make for good politics, but certainly doesn’t make for good public policy.

The Quebec bill uniquely targeted energy drinks by banning the sale of caffeinated beverages with a concentration of caffeine above 150 milligrams per litre that also contain taurine, vitamins or minerals to youth, allowing other drinks like coffee or other caffeinated beverages to be exempt.

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But taurine, vitamins and minerals were not cited by the coroner as dangers to those on ADHD medication; only caffeine.

And data from the Canadian Beverage Association shows that energy drinks account for just 11% of teen caffeine consumption. That means Quebec’s new law doesn’t even address 89% of the supposed problem it is trying to solve.

To make matters worse, the Quebec bill bans the purchase of energy drinks through food delivery services like Uber Eats. Yet wine and beer can still be purchased on Uber Eats, provided the purchaser provides identification to the driver at the door. That means the Fréchette government has decided to be even more restrictive on energy drink access than alcohol. The government could have used the same mechanism as alcohol delivery to age-gate access to energy drinks, but apparently the political will was lacking.

This bill sets a very dangerous precedent — one that no doubt other governments across Canada looking for headlines might choose to follow. Right now, Quebec has decided to restrict access to energy drinks for youth. But that’s a small step away from regulating the sale of any kind of caffeinated beverage tomorrow to consumers of any age.

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Is that the kind of world we want to live in?

Instead of turning to the heavy hand of government, it’s time to embrace better public education. Let’s make sure doctors and pharmacists are better at warning patients about the possible interactions between caffeine and certain medications they might be prescribed.

But let’s also make sure that politicians stick to their lane. And regulating our intake of caffeine isn’t it.

Jay Goldberg is the North American affairs manager at the Consumer Choice Center, which receives financial support from consumer goods industries

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