In cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of Representatives, the University of Bahrain held a debate entitled “Protecting Children from Energy Drinks and Smoking” on . The debate was covered by the local press and presented by a number of students of the Legal Clinic course at the College of Law as part of their final course project. The students emphasized that children who consume these drinks will get an infection of many diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other internal diseases. They have relied on many medical studies that have figured out the harmful effects of the energy drinks on human health and their role in impairing mental ability, fitness, and blood circulation. Thus, the debate addressed the harmful effects of energy drinks and smoking and the importance of protecting children from them. This debate is one of a series of continuous educational events offered by the UOB, in cooperation with official and educational institutions, with the aim of promoting health and legal knowledge among local society. At the end of the debate, it has been recommended that legal protection provided to children under the current applicable law should be reviewed due to the rapid use of energy drinks by children. It was also recommended some measures to limit the use of energy drinks and smoking. Subsequently, on 15th of January 2020, the Bahraini Parliament discussed a draft law that prohibiting the sale of energy drinks to those under the age of 18 and obligating the sellers of these products to put a clear statement of that prohibition in a prominent place at the sale point, in both Arabic and English.
