Health Minister to Unveil New Energy Drink Guidelines

Aglukkaq indicates she won't follow panel's recommendation to classify the drinks as drugs.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is set to unveil new guidelines on energy drinks, but she won't follow up on Health Canada recommendations to consider Red Bull and Rockstar as "drugs" that should only be sold in pharmacies. A panel of doctors and researchers had urged Aglukkaq to limit the sale of energy drinks to people over the age of 18, and to force retailers to drop the term "energy drink" in favour of "stimulant-drug-containing drinks" which, yeesh, talk about your bureaucratese. Right now, they are classified as "natural health products" which certainly seems like a misnomer given all the chemicals found in them. While Aglukkaq says she won't follow all the panel's recommendations, her staff says she will take a "balanced" approach to the products, which can lead to elevated heart rates and worse if not consumed properly.