San Lázaro becomes the new ‘guardian’ of teenage festivals
In a move that will undoubtedly make teenagers’ parties much more… boring, the Health Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has decided to play mom and dad to the nation. With a resounding vote of 20 votes in favor (and who knows how many cups of coffee needed to stay awake during the session), the honorable deputies approved the initiative to prohibit the sale of those modern elixirs known as energy drinks to anyone who has not reached the majestic age of 18 years. Because, clearly, the real danger for youth is not the challenges of TikTok, but the fearsome combination of taurine and caffeine.
The brilliant idea, courtesy of deputies Ricardo Monreal Ávila from Morena and José Luis Fernández Martínez from the PVEM, is not satisfied with a simple “don’t do it, compa.” Oh no. They go for everything, modifying the General Health Law with the elegance of an elephant in a china shop. The reform adds articles and fractions with names so complicated that they probably require their own energy drink to understand. The jewel in the crown: a ban backed by a fine of up to two thousand times the Measurement and Update Unit. For those who do not translate “legislative” into “Spanish”, that is approximately 220 thousand Mexican pesos. An ideal sum to discourage the corner shopkeeper, but for a large commercial chain it is probably the equivalent of an executive’s tip.
Defining the enemy: it is not a monster, it is a can
And what exactly is this liquid of the devil that deserves such drastic state intervention? Well, the bill, with the precision of a neurosurgeon, defines energy drinks as those non-alcoholic beverages to which is added the caffeine mixture with taurine, glucoronolactone, thiamine “or any other substance that produces similar stimulating effects.” Wow, with such a broad definition, one wonders if Grandma’s morning coffee is next on the outlaw list. Where do we draw the line, dear legislators? At Red Bull? In Irish coffee? In the hopeful look of a father with a newborn?
In the debate, the president of the Commission, deputy Pedro Mario Zenteno Santaella (Morena), put on the mantle of public health superhero and solemnly declared that these initiatives “are legally viable and socially necessary.” Their master argument: “because they contribute to the prevention of the consumption of harmful substances in girls, boys and adolescents.” For a moment, I thought he was talking about crack, but no, he meant a can of Monster. He also dropped the pearl that this “materializes the constitutional obligation of the Mexican State to guarantee well-being… prioritizing the protection of their health over the economic interests of the market.” How nice it sounds. It’s a shame that the same logic does not apply to other equally sweet and addictive substances that are advertised at the top of their lungs.
The alarming panorama: a generation accelerated by design
The reform document paints an apocalyptic panorama worthy of a zombie movie, but instead of brains, young people are looking for caffeine. He warns that the consumption of these concoctions has increased exponentially, especially among young people between 15 and 18 years old, the “main daily consumer group.” Of course, because between the math test, social pressure, and teenage drama, what they really need is a shot of nervousness and anxiety. The reform points the accusing finger at advertising campaigns aimed at this vulnerable public. How curious, it’s almost as if companies want to sell their products. Scandal!
To give it a touch of international authority, they bring up the World Health Organization (WHO), which has warned about the risks of excessive consumption of sugars and caffeine. And so, with the support of Geneva, the initiative lists a catalog of medical horrors that these drinks would cause: from cardiovascular conditions (high blood pressure, arrhythmias, aneurysms) to neurological and psychological disorders such as anxiety and insomnia. It also mentions obesity, type 2 diabetes and kidney damage. The list is so long that it makes you anxious just to read it. Maybe I need an energy drink to calm me down.
The highlight of this medico-legal drama is the warning that the effects are worse when mixed with alcohol or during physical exercise. That is, they basically describe an average Saturday night for a sector of the youth population. Will we also ban parties and the gym to be consistent?
The dictum was now sent to the board of directors for its next stop: the debate and vote in the plenary session of San Lázaro. There, our deputies will have the arduous task of deciding whether to save youth from the clutches of the dreaded sugar can. An epic battle between public health and the freedom to choose how to make your heart race.
Do you think this ban is the solution or just a superficial patch to a more complex problem of eating habits? Share this note on your social networks and debate with your contacts about the eternal struggle between state regulation and individual responsibility. And don’t miss our analysis of other controversial public health measures that have generated debate.
