Editorial: Energy drink’s bad taste

Monday, April 16, 2007 | 7:33 a.m.

It takes plenty of nerve to name an over-the-counter beverage after an illegal and dangerous narcotic, but that's just what a Las Vegas company did. It was only a matter of time before Redux Beverages and its ridiculously named "Cocaine" energy drink would come under the scrutiny of a federal agency.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that it had warned Redux that the company was illegally marketing the beverage as both a street drug alternative and a dietary supplement, the Associated Press reported. Redux brazenly referred to its product as "Speed in a Can," "Liquid Cocaine" and "Cocaine - Instant Rush."

Parents surely must be thrilled that their underage children can score "Cocaine" at the local convenience store. The Provo Daily Herald in Utah reported this month that there are other energy drinks that go by the drug-related names "Ecstasy," "Rehab" and "Shoot-ups." Next thing you know, kids will be munching on "Peyote" candy bars and sugar-flavored "Heroin" cereal.

The Redux drink contains an ingredient, inositol, that the manufacturer claims reduces cholesterol and is good for the arteries. But dietary supplements, according to the FDA, are not allowed to claim that they prevent or treat a disease.

The agency can perform a public service by using "Cocaine" as a springboard to take a closer look at the energy drink industry. In recent weeks reports have been trickling out of the media that some energy drinks accessible to underage children actually contain alcohol.

There have been tremendous advancements over time in the amount of product information available to consumers. But it has become obvious that makers of energy drinks, in their zeal to cash in on the taste buds of youngsters searching for the hottest new trend, have let their marketing schemes run amok. It's tough enough to keep children away from drugs and alcohol. We don't need energy drink peddlers egging them on.