Monster Drink's Shares Slide After Calls for Regulation
What is this mysterious "caffeine" substance and how does it work?
Shares of Monster Beverage Corp. slid again Friday after two U.S. senators asked federal regulators to fix what they say are loopholes that allow energy drink makers to sell products with additives and high levels of caffeine they say "have not been proven safe."
The letter to the Food and Drug Administration from Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., comes after the agency announced this week that it was investigating reports of five deaths in which the consumption of Monster drinks was cited.
Those claims say that people suffered adverse reactions after consuming Monster Energy Drink, which comes in 24-ounce cans and contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, or seven times the amount of the caffeine in a 12-ounce can of cola.
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Lemme guess...said senators are now buying plenty of stock in Monster and will drop the bill when they think they've bought enough. But hey! It's not insider trading, because we said so.
They probably are, and so am I. They've been able to go after other drugs, but I have a strong suspicion that going after caffeine is going to be a bit unpalatable to the masses.
I know, I know, I'm trying to factor in actual wants and needs of voters when considering actions government will take. Stupid me.