National forum to deal with substance abuse risks to children

The Commissioner for Children intends to call a National Forum to deal with the issue of Maltese children at risk from the abusive consumption of energy drinks and other substances.

The plan is to start working on the initiative by the beginning of November, Commissioner for Children Carmen Zammit has told The Times.

The idea was spearheaded by social worker Anthony Girard, who is on a mission to have energy drinks regulated in the same way as alcohol, and who proposed the national forum at a recent public discussion on health.

Ms Zammit said a similar suggestion was also put forward during another public discussion that dealt with social exclusion. However, she would not comment on how her office viewed the local situation for children vis-a-vis substances and energy drinks and, in the light of that, why it felt the need to organise the forum.

Mr Girard is for the regulation - not banning - of energy drinks. He has insisted for the past six months that every energy drink should be regulated.

"We need to look into the regulation of substances, including caffeine, that are being marketed on the island," he urged.

"What applies to alcohol should apply to energy drinks. We are talking about two highly addictive substances - alcohol and caffeine - which can substitute each other, or be drunk together, with negative effects."

A study has found that those who mix, for example, Red Bull with alcohol may be drunker than they think they are and that the energy drink may mask the alcohol effect.

Mr Girard's campaign was spurred by the introduction in Malta of the energy drink Cocaine, which caused a stir, particularly because of its controversial name.

For Mr Girard, Cocaine is different from other energy drinks and is considered to be "dangerous", having six times as much caffeine content as Red Bull, for example.

Described by Mr Girard as "lethal to children", Cocaine is banned throughout Europe, expect for Malta, Albania and Hungary, he said.

Red Bull, on the other hand, has been banned from sale in Norway, Denmark, Uruguay and Iceland, while health departments in France, Ireland, Turkey, Sweden and the US have expressed concern.

Locally, the Public Health Regulation Division is following the discussion on the issue and said simply that, if required, it would apply the necessary measures, which would be in line with EU recommendations.

Meanwhile, as regards its advice to the public, it said it has always laid emphasis on the importance of limiting the intake of foods and drinks that are high in sugar, fat and salt.

"There is no reason why someone of a certain age should be forbidden from drinking an energy drink like Red Bull if they want to. But do not tell me that a 13-year-old should be drinking five in a row. That is another story!

"If you are 19 and you want to blow your brains out, it is entirely up to you. But if you are 12, 13, or 14, you should be protected by your parents and the state," Mr Girard insisted.

He is calling for the national forum on the use of substances and energy drinks by young children in Malta because "our children are knocking it down - whatever they can lay their hands on".

Mr Girard, who has been working with alcohol and substance abusers for the last decade, is currently compiling a report on the subject of energy drinks and their detrimental effects on young children.

His thoughts on the matter are backed by a recent article in the UK newspaper Daily Mail that talks about the role of energy drinks like Red Bull in "Britain's binge-drinking epidemic".

It questions whether the beverage could be contributing to the violent, anti-social and dangerous behaviour that characterises the UK's binge-drinking culture.

Mixed with vodka, it has become a staple of the student and 20-something hard-drinking crowd - an ideal way to keep partying longer and harder, the article states.

Quoting experts, it continues that the real trouble is that mixing caffeine, a stimulant, with alcohol, a depressant, "is like getting into a car and applying the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time".

The office of the Commissioner for Children is also setting up a Platform for Children and is currently finalising the terms of reference and working methods in preparation for its launch on October 21.

It is, therefore, inviting organisations, NGOs and other entities that are working with and for children to join, Ms Zammit said, declining to provide more details on the "platform" at this stage.