The University of New Hampshire, saying its goal is to be the healthiest campus community in the nation by 2020, announced last month that it would prohibit the sale of energy drinks at campus retail and vending locations.
But school officials evidently misjudged how much students like the drinks. One day later, University President Mark Huddleston said the ban was on hold.
The rationale for the ban, according to the university, was the high levels of caffeine and sugar in energy drinks and the fact that many students regularly mix energy drinks with alcohol, which some says can mask the symptoms of intoxication. The school cited a report that students who mixed alcohol and energy drinks reported higher rates of injuring themselves and being taken advantage of sexually.
Huddleston backed away from the ban, which would have taken effect in January, because of student reactions as well as conflicting evidence about the health effects of energy drinks.
"I want to be sure we respect our students’ ability to make informed choices about what they consume," says Huddleston. "I have asked my colleagues to defer implementation of the intended ban until we can further explore the relevant facts and involve students more directly in our decision."
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Discussion about the proposed ban:
