# Should coffee be a controlled substance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2000, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426 "2000-11-23T07:24:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/1 "2000-11-23T07:24:40Z")
I’ve been drinking coffee regularly since I was 15 (40 years). I grind my own, and I brew it **strong**. But I _still_ cop a serious buzz off a couple double espressos. But my 9 yr. old granddaughter can waltz into Starbucks (yuk) and buy a frappawhatever. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definately not calling for change. But I can’t help but wonder why someone hasn’t. Or have they? Peace, mangeorge (Say’s “but” a lot) ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/2 "2000-11-23T08:33:31Z")
So I was waiting tables last week, and this girl is with her mom. Girl couldn’t have been more than 12, 10 at the most. Mom orders a coffee. I was about to turn to the girl and joke with her about whether she’d like a coffee as well when she looked at me and said “Do you serve espresso here?” Beat. “No, I’m sorry, just coffee.” “OK, I’ll take that then.” I thought about it for a second, then figured, if the mom had no problems with it, why should I? I served her coffee. She drank it black. The day they pry caffiene away from me is the day the senate goes up in a fiery burst of a mushroom cloud. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/3 "2000-11-23T08:46:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enderw23 \* > \*\*So I was waiting tables last week, and this girl is with her mom. Girl couldn’t have been more than 12, 10 at the most. Mom orders a coffee. I was about to turn to the girl and joke with her about whether she’d like a coffee as well when she looked at me and said “Do you serve espresso here?” > Beat. > “No, I’m sorry, just coffee.” > “OK, I’ll take that then.” > \*\* Like my dad used to say, “You can drink coffee when you don’t find the need to hide its flavor with milk and sugar.” I, howe4ver, am nicer than my dad. I let my 9 year old drink cafe latte with **breakfast** if we go out to a place that has a coffee bar. She doesn’t drink it at home. Funny, she doesn’t even ask to drink it at home. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/4 "2000-11-23T09:14:12Z")
I digressed. **Should caffeine be a controlled substance?** Because it’s a naturally occuring compound the expense of eliminating caffeine from food items would likely increase the overall cost of food production. This would result in increased food costs to reduce intake of a susbstance which, when consumed in moderation, has negligible ill effects on health. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/5 "2000-11-23T09:27:21Z")
Caffeine is the greatest drug in the world (yes, it is a drug, though a natural occuring one). I love it, I have ALWAYS loved it, I love it more than alcohol, I loved it more than nicotine when I used to smoke, and I love it only slighlty less than I love my s.o.! So when I hear anyone questioning it, or talking about restricting it in anyway, to anyone I get vicious! :mad:! Give your kids coffee! They’ll love ya for it!😉 ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/6 "2000-11-23T10:02:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > **Caffeine is the greatest drug in the world (yes, it is a drug, though a natural occuring one). …** The _original_ gateway drug! ---
**Author:** ![Stupendous\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Stupendous\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stupendous_man)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/7 "2000-11-23T14:54:03Z")
What’s the big deal about caffeine anyeway? What’s gonna happen? A bunch of kids will be more alert. Oh, the horror! I wish I had coffee during some of my elementary school classes. SOme say caffeine stunts your growth, but if that’s the case, why isn’t Cola treated with the same apprehension concerning children as coffee is? I’ve been drinking both with alarming frequency since I was about 12, and today, I am over 6 feet tall and perfectly healthy. So nuts to that. I say let kids have coffee. It aint gonna hurt them any. A twinkie is probably far worse for them. It’s just one of those things that became “not allowed” for no real good reason as far as I was concerned. I think it’s just that parents don’t want to have their kids awake all night, or too hyperactive when they are with them during the day. My little brother drinks it on occasion. He’s 13. It’s nothing. He drinks a lot more Coke than coffee, and he’s still alive, healthy, and growing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/8 "2000-11-23T14:59:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Holy shit! You people shouldn’t let your kids do that! Why not? I started drinking coffee with milk when I was about six years old, and look how I turned out! ---
**Author:** ![Akatsukami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea666f/32.png) [@Akatsukami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akatsukami)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/9 "2000-11-23T15:38:51Z")
**Stupendous man** asks: > [@](#): > > SOme say caffeine stunts your growth, but if that’s the case, why isn’t Cola treated with the same apprehension concerning children as coffee is? [It is](http://www.cspinet.org/new/caffeine.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_the\_drum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@Drum\_the\_drum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_the_drum)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/10 "2000-11-23T16:34:48Z")
The problem with all controlled substances is people get confused about why they are controlled and try to generalize to other things. Heroin is controlled because it can kill you, not because it causes euphoria. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/11 "2000-11-23T17:32:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Akatsukami \* > \*\ ***Stupendous man** asks: > > > [@](#): > > > > SOme say caffeine stunts your growth, but if that’s the case, why isn’t Cola treated with the same apprehension concerning children as coffee is? > > [It is](http://www.cspinet.org/new/caffeine.htm). \*\* Oh well, of course the Center for Science In The Human is going to say that. Their motto: if it tastes or feels good, it’ll kill you before your 35th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Azazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Azazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azazel)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/12 "2000-11-23T17:40:52Z")
Caffeine, from whatever source, coffee, tea, cola, chocolate etc. is a stimulant and should be given sparingly, if at all, to children. Parents ought to know this, but making caffeine sources into controlled substances sounds like a dangerous idea. Education, not legislation, should be answer. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/13 "2000-11-23T22:22:32Z")
Caffeine is a controlled substance as far as the IOC is concerned, but since it does occur naturally and people drink coffee, they allow a certain quantity. However, above that limit, an athlete would be expelled. Besides all the effects you guys noted, it is, to some extent, an ergogenic aid, as it releases fatty acids for energy. ---
**Author:** ![IBBen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85f322/32.png) [@IBBen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IBBen)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/14 "2000-11-24T00:41:59Z")
Marijuana is also a naturally occuring conrolled substance which causes euphoria and it’s illegal ---
**Author:** ![jovius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jovius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovius)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/15 "2000-11-24T01:51:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by IBBen \* > \*\*Marijuana is also a naturally occuring conrolled substance which causes euphoria and it’s illegal > \*\* That’s why it should be legalized! Hehe, come to Vancouver, BC. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/16 "2000-11-24T04:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jovius \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by IBBen \* > > \*\*Marijuana is also a naturally occuring conrolled substance which causes euphoria and it’s illegal > > \*\* > > That’s why it should be legalized! Hehe, come to Vancouver, BC. 😛 \*\* Only if they make a decent cappuccino. 😉 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/17 "2000-11-24T16:08:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Hehe, come to Vancouver, BC. Hey, I was up there last Saturday. I’ve heard “B.C. Bud” is the best, but I don’t partake. My friends say it’s good though. ---
**Author:** ![Colin\_Trainer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@Colin\_Trainer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colin_Trainer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/18 "2000-11-24T16:21:32Z")
I don’t drink coffee and usually it doesn’t bother me but wha t really bothers me is this guy I work with who whenever he drinks coffee it sounds like he is having sex (slurrp…OH GOD…slurpp…YEAH…and so on) is it legal to kill someone like this? ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/19 "2000-11-24T16:40:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barbitu8 \* > \*\*Caffeine is a controlled substance as far as the IOC is concerned, but since it does occur naturally and people drink coffee, they allow a certain quantity. \*\* Also controlled by the Tennis world, read in one of the newer “Tennis” magazine articles one of the Female players was thrown out of a tornament because she had taken a caffine pill that was over the limit. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426/20 "2000-11-24T17:19:36Z")
Lemme have another sip of coffee before I start… and shouldn’t this be a debate? I don’t think we can limit this question to the banning of coffee since there are many other products out there that contain caffeine in significant quantities. I think this site should answer any questions people have about caffeine: [Caffeine FAQ](http://www.cs.unb.ca/~alopez-o/Coffee/caffaq.html) What would happen if we banned tea, coffee, chocolate, and our favourite sodas? It would be the end of society as we know it. Carnage would ensue. Productivity would grind to a halt, little tea deprived grannies would go on murderous rampages, and I know people who would be selling their sister for a coke. I would be up on top of a high building with a rifle for sure. Does anyone want to see this happen? I have to go and make some more coffee now… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-coffee-be-a-controlled-substance/42426.md?page=2)