Energy drinks pose dilemma for government

Health Canada is currently engaged in an internal debate over whether or not to reclassify so-called energy drinks – soft drinks containing high levels of caffeine and other stimulants – as ""stimulant drug containing drinks," according to their own expert panel, reports the Ottawa Citizen.

Currently, energy drinks – sold under brand names like Red Bull, Monster and Rock Star – are regulated as natural health products. If Health Canada follows the advice of the panel, Canada will become one of the first countries to classify these drinks as a non-prescription drug, which would allow them to be sold only under a pharmacist’s supervision.

Internal documents show that the government agency is considering following the lead of several other countries, however, by classifying the drinks as "foodlike." Unlike non-prescription drug products, foodlike products can be sold freely outside of pharmacies.

Classifying the beverages as containing stimulant drugs "is recommended regardless of how other countries have chosen to deal with these products," the panel wrote in their recommendations.

Now Canada must face either scrutiny on the world stage – not to mention pressure from the beverage industry – for being one of the first countries to classify the drinks as a drug, or go against the recommendations of its own experts.