Battle begins over Suffolk energy drink ban for minors

Addiction experts and those who work with young people Tuesday pressed Suffolk County legislators to ban the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to minors.

However, the beverage industry argued at the same legislative hearing that the products are safe and cited research showing that young people consume only limited quantities of the drinks.

Legis. Lynne Nowick (R-St. James) said she believes her proposal would be the first in the nation to ban the sale of nonalcoholic energy drinks to minors.

Legis. Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) said Suffolk County has "a history of being proactive" on such issues, noting that lawmakers in 2003 banned Ephedra diet pills before the federal government took action.

"If we had waited for the FDA to act, who knows how many lives would have been lost?" Cooper asked.

Krista Whitman, a chemical dependence coordinator, warned that the drinks could lead to addiction. She cited a February study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research that found college students who regularly drink energy drinks also were at a higher risk of becoming dependent on alcohol.

But illustrating the high stakes, the beverage industry - including Red Bull representatives from Austria, the Netherlands and Great Britain - appeared to the hearing to try to head off the ban.

Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association, testified that according to federal health surveys, young people under 12 drink almost no energy drinks and 13-18 year olds drink only small quantities. Supporters of the ban also voiced support for a separate proposal requiring stores to post signs warning of the drinks' negative effects.