There is no conspiracy between energy drinks and cocaine!

It seems a week can’t go by without a fake controversy concerning energy drinks and cocaine. That’s not by accident. Energy drink makers encourage the connection because of cocaine’s reputation for providing a jolt and being a party drug.

Thus beverages such as Cocaine Energy Drink imply how powerful they are when in reality the drink contains about as much caffeine as a 20-ounce cup of drip coffee. And Cocaine Energy prides itself on containing the most caffeine of any energy drink. Most contain around 100 milligrams of caffeine, less than a shot of espresso.

The newest controversy doesn’t deal with wannabe drugs but actually has to do with cocaine, minute amounts of it. Red Bull Cola was found to contain “trace measures” of the drug. From Time Magazine:

According to this analysis, the 0.13 micrograms of cocaine per can of

the drink does not pose a serious health threat — you’d have to drink

12,000 L of Red Bull Cola for negative effects to be felt — but it was

enough to cause concern.

This is a much ado about nothing.