Energy drinks have been known to have their fair share of health-related issues. With studies confirming that drinks like Red Bull can give you wings with a side of heart problems, it’s no wonder energy drinks have such a sketchy reputation. One college campus has even banned the sale of energy drinks, but the reasoning for the ban has gotten them some pushback.
Beginning on March 7, Middlebury College in Vermont plans to stop selling energy drinks to students on campus. Campus officials are claiming that the drinks are linked to “problematic behavior” such as alcohol abuse, “high-risk sexual activity,” and drunk driving.
“Energy drink consumption facilitates unhealthy work habits such as prolonged periods of sleeplessness, contributing to a campus culture of stress and unsustainable study habits,” reads a sign posted inside the school’s dining hall, according to NBC News.
Despite resistence from some students, Dan Detora, the executive director of dining hall services, is sticking by the ban.
“I see it as the equivalent of banning cigarettes,” he told NBC.
According to Detora and his research, energy drinks have been linked to heart problems, seizures and liver damage. But did they really have to connect risky sex with energy drinks? That’s a pretty tenuous connection, and seems to shift the focus off solving the root problems that cause issues like campus sexual assault.
The drinks aren’t banned from campus altogether, as student are allowed to consume them on campus. They just have to find a different merchant to buy them from. Plus, there’s still plenty of coffee on campus.