Back in July of 1993 the FDA issued its first public warning about possible safety issues connected to the use of ephedra. It took 11 years for the process of banning the substance to be completed. Most problems with the use of ephedra occurred as a result of overuse of the products containing it. This is similar to what's happening now with energy drinks. I'm not predicting a ban on energy drinks, but I wouldn't be surprised if the FDA stepped in and regulated companies producing these products a bit more carefully and/or put pressure on them to modify the ingredients used in these products!
It is difficult to interpret whether the adverse events reported in conjunction with use of ephedrine are actually the result of ephedrine use alone, or the result of other factors such as the amount consumed, underlying sensitivity, simultaneous use of other stimulants, contaminants, inconsistent potency, or a combination of these factors. None of the AERs or human case reports on ephedrine establish a direct causal relationship between intake of ephedrine and the reported injuries. However, the FDA found that there were sufficient grounds for removing ephedrine-containing drugs from the marketplace because they presented “unreasonable risk of illness or injury.” The ban of ephedrine is the first time the FDA has gone through the difficult steps required by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to ban a dietary supplement.
LINK: http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/ephedraBanned.htm