Teen's death prompts push to ban energy drink sales to Quebec youth under 16

Zachary Miron died all of a sudden at eld 15 in jan 2024.

Radio-Canada’s Enquête team up revealed in dec 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.

Montreal-area school bans energy drinks, urges Quebec to limit sales to teens

"I didn’t know, I really didn’t know. My kids didn’t know, the students in general don’t know," he said.

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.

Éric Gingras, president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), which represents a range of school staff including teachers, said his organization joined the initiative to "demand concrete actions” to protect youth in schools.

"We feel there is a normalization of these products among our youth and that we, as parents, are not sufficiently informed — nor are our children — about the harmful effects they can [cause]," said Mélanie Laviolette, president of the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec (FCPQ).

Miron’s parents chose to speak out publicly so their son’s death would not be in vain and could help bring about change. They say they are "very encouraged" by the scale of the mobilization and "grateful" to see so many groups rallying to their cause.

"If this initiative can prevent even one other tragedy, then it must go much further than us," said David Miron, Zachary's father.

The Miron family met with Health Minister Sonia Bélanger on April 1 and told Radio-Canada she appears sensitive to their requests and is taking the matter seriously.

However, David Miron said he expects more from the government.

"Summer is coming, with young people going to the corner store to buy refreshments. Things need to move,” he said.

"We want rapid action. The current mobilization demonstrates the credibility of the issue and the importance of hurrying to regulate these energy drinks."

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