A teenager boards a ski lift on a winter school trip. Minutes later, his heart stops. He never comes back down.
Zachary Miron was 15 years old, described by his mother as being in “perfect health.” The Morin Heights tragedy in January 2024 which doctors linked to a fatal combination of ADHD medication and a can of Red Bull set off a chain of events that would ultimately reshape public health law in Quebec. Now, more than a year after his death, the province has acted.
On June 11, Quebec’s National Assembly passed Bill 9 the Act to Prevent the Harmful Effects of Energy Drinks on Young People by an overwhelming vote of 103 to 1, cementing the province’s place as the first jurisdiction in all of Canada to restrict the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to those under the age of 16.
The legislation draws a clear line. Any beverage containing 150 mg of caffeine per litre or more combined with additives such as taurine, vitamins, or minerals is now classified as an energy drink under Quebec law. From the moment the law takes effect (six months from now, to allow retailers time to adapt), no one under 16 will be legally permitted to purchase such a product, nor will an adult be allowed to purchase one on their behalf.
Vendors will be required to check government-issued photo ID before completing any energy drink sale. The penalties for breaking the rules are structured to mean business: minors caught purchasing will face a $100 fine, while retailers who sell to underage customers could be hit with fines of up to $62,500 and double that for repeat offenders.
The bill carries an unofficial name that tells you everything about why it exists: the Zachary Miron Act.
Quebec Health Minister Sonia Bélanger took a moment during the June 10 debate to personally acknowledge Zachary’s parents David Miron and Veronica Martinez who have spent months advocating publicly for this change.
“Their determination and courage will help prevent other tragedies,” Bélanger said.
Veronica Martinez had addressed reporters at an April press briefing, recounting the moment her son’s heart stopped while he sat on a ski lift in Morin Heights, a mountain community north of Montreal. There were no warning signs. No known underlying conditions.
“If it can happen to a boy like that, nobody is safe,” she said.
The 103–1 vote left little room for ambiguity about where Quebec’s legislators stand. The sole vote against the bill came from Youri Chassin, the independent representative for Saint-Jérôme. Two other independent members Maïté Blanchette Vézina of Rimouski and Sona Lakhoyan Olivier of Chomedey chose to abstain rather than vote either way.
Bélanger framed the legislation not as a final solution but as a meaningful beginning. “Quebec is demonstrating leadership,” she told the National Assembly, calling the bill’s passage “a good start.” She added: “We believe it’s better to take preventive action when young people’s health is at stake.”
The law doesn’t just set rules it also sets up a mechanism to evaluate how well those rules are working. Bélanger announced the creation of a dedicated working group that will oversee the law’s implementation and assess its real-world impact over time.
The group will bring together voices from the energy drink industry, the retail sector, and Quebec’s provincial health authority, the Direction nationale de santé publique. Crucially, the working group will also be consulted before any future regulatory changes are made, giving ongoing stakeholder input a formal role in how the law evolves.
The six-month window before the law takes full effect is deliberate a practical acknowledgment that retailers will need time to train staff, update point-of-sale systems, and adjust store policies.
No law can undo what happened on that ski slope in January 2024. But for Zachary’s parents, and for the province that listened to them, Bill 9 represents something rare: a policy response that moved quickly, passed decisively, and carries a name that ensures no one forgets why it was needed.
Other provinces are watching. For now, Quebec stands alone and first.
