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In what government officials claim is a global first, Lithuania has enacted a ban on selling energy drinks to anyone under 18.
“It’s a revolutionary development the world over: we didn’t find a single other country to have this kind of ban,” health ministry official Almantas Kranauskas told news agency AFP. “Most countries only have recommendations. We are the first.”
Under the law which the Lithuanian parliament adopted in May, selling energy drinks to minors is now punishable by a fine of up to €116 euros.
Kranauskas said that a recent survey showed 10% of school-aged children consume energy drinks at least once a week. He argued that high levels of taurine and caffeine found in some energy drinks could lead to hyperactivity and addiction, adding that some scientists suggest they could also be a gateway to drugs.
Maxima, the biggest supermarket chain in the three Baltic states, said it would move energy drinks to ‘less visible’ locations and use monitoring and special banners to implement the ban.
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