OTTAWA — One in five Canadian high-school students consume
alcohol mixed with energy drinks, a new national survey has
found. The consumption of these mixed drinks, characterized by
the researchers as “substantial” among high-schoolers, is an
emerging public health concern that requires more effective
strategies than “top-down, abstinence-based programs,” the
study, published Tuesday in CMAJ Open, a new online journal of
the Canadian Medical Association, states. “At the policy level,
this may take the form of a flat tax on energy drinks, or a
variable tax reflective of caffeine content.” Schools and
community services could also adopt “innovative harm-reduction
approaches,” with the help of social media, “to encourage youth
not to mix alcohol with energy drinks, without directly focusing
on the use of either substance, per se.” The study added:
“School and clinicians need to be aware of the extent of the
consumption of alcohol mixed with energy drinks among Canadian
youth and play a major role in educating an