Then, in 2010, Burke co-sponsored
a proposed ban on caffeinated beers in Chicago—where Four Loko
maker Phusion Projects is based.
The latest target for Burke, 69, who has held the same
alderman’s chair since 1969—nearly two-thirds of his life—is
popular energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster. An ordinance Burke

introduced last week would ban from the city all sales of
energy drinks containing more than 180 mg of caffeine and also
containing either guarana or taurine (common energy drink
ingredients).
Burke’s proposed ban is part of a larger move against energy
drink makers across the country. In New York, for example, state
attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman has subpoenaed a handful of
energy drink makers,
claiming the industry may be “deceiving consumers with
misstatements about the ingredients and health value of its
products.” The FDA is investigating
up to five deaths over several years that the agency claims may be
tied to energy drinks. Congress is
considering new regulations pertaining to energy drinks. And
papers from coast to coast, including the
editors of the San Jose Mercury News and
The New York Times (in the form of reporter Barry Meier,
who Jacob Sullum
notes has been crusading against energy drinks for some time)
have pushed increased regulations.
The penalties in Burke’s proposed ban on energy drinks mirror
those he
recommended for selling caffeinated beers—a fine of up to $500
and the potential loss or suspension of a city-mandated
license.
“These energy drinks, if they’re consumed in large amounts,
especially by kids, can have serious health implications,” Burke

told WGN last week.
That’s probably true of energy drinks—but also of coffee, tea,
soda, juice, alcohol, water, and any other beverage.