Like someone already mentioned, caffeine is ubiquitous. It's in everything, from coffee to tea to chocolate bars to "energized" water. Second, banning a substance based on MINOR health risks by overconsumption is ludicrous. Obesity has worse health risks, should we ban food? Type 2 Diabetes costs the US and Canada many millions every year, should we ban...*gasp*...sugar? Wait, I know. The solution to prevalent hypertension: Ban salt. Better yet, set up a customs line and tax salt, East India Company style. Nothing like a good poll tax.
My point is that caffeine won't be banned, or taxed. It is a staple of Western society, whether you're a British tea-drinker or a Canadian coffee-drinker or a Belgian cocoa-drinker or an American Coke/Pepsi-drinker. I would also like to point out that while the health benefits of reducing caffeine intake from excessive to moderate are clear, there are equally clear links to the health benefits of mild to moderate caffeine intake.
- improved athletic performance by drawing on fat reserves for energy and increasing motor skills of conditioned reflexes
- enhancing pain-relieving effects of aspirin, acetaminophen, and opiates like codeine and morphine
- many headaches are caused by dilated blood vessels - caffeine is known to constrict these blood vessels and alleviate the pain
- non-coffee drinkers have two to three times greater incidence of Parkinson's disease
- coffee drinkers significantly reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes
- coffee, tea, and hot chocolate all have antioxidant properties shown to fight cancer, heart disease, and aging - the antioxidant effects are due to the caffeine in these drinks
I'm not an employee of Starbucks or Twinings - and I don't think caffeine is some kind of miracle drug. I think that kids drink way too much caffeine (in the form of pop like Coke). I also know that too much caffeine is dangerous. I just think that people should know both sides of the fence before they start campaigning for a particular side.