University Of New Hampshire Reverses Course On Ban Of Energy Drinks

NPR | By Scott Hensley

Published September 30, 2011 at 12:26 PM EDT

A can of Red Bull, cracked and ready for consumption, on a table at the student union building at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

In New Hampshire, where the state motto is "Live Free Or Die," college students don't take kindly to restrictions on their energy drinks.

After the food services folks at the University of New Hampshire moved to ban energy drinks as part of the school's drive to become the "healthiest campus community in the country by 2020," the president stepped in to reverse the decision.

An editorial in the student paper called the ban "hypocritical" since some of the most popular drinks contain about the same amount of caffeine as coffee:

We understand the dangers of combining alcohol and caffeine, and encourage students to better understand those dangers.

But removing energy drinks from UNH shelves because of that would be an overreaction.

Early in the week, UNH President Mark Huddleston announced a delay for the ban, set to take effect in January.

After reviewing the caffeine content and data on the buying habits of students, the delay became a reversal, which he tweeted.