Soda Ban Essay

     To fight against obesity, Mayor Bloomberg wants to ban all sugary drinks over 16 ounces, but only in all city regulated restaurants such as fast-food joints and movie theaters. The ban doesn’t include banning soda from grocery and convenience stores, like 7-Eleven. The NYC ban should be opposed because it takes away the peoples free choice and is full of many loopholes.

This ban is not effective enough because there are too many loopholes. The New York Times video “Soda Ban Explained” by Caesy Neistat, mentioned all the many loopholes in the ban. You can still buy a drink with 50% milk [juice, milkshakes, teas and coffees] and drinks that you add your own sugar to. And if that’s not enough, you can still go to non-regulated stores or just buy more than one. With all these loopholes people that really want soda can still go out and buy it, so it doesn’t do much to help curb obesity. 

The ban is unfair and takes away peoples choice to buy whatever quantity of soda they want. “Fundamentally we don’t need government telling us what we need for ourselves.” says Justin Wilson from Center of Consumer Freedom. Zara Atal, a college student said, “ If people want to buy a 24oz. drink, that’s their decision.” And Veronica Majerol, the author of article “Sugar Wars” stated, “While government has an interest in protecting the wellbeing of citizens some argue that people should be free to make their own decisions--even if they end up choosing poorly.” Many people agree that the ban takes away peoples’ rights and that people should be able to buy as much soda as they want. 

Others say the ban should be passed even though it takes away peoples’ free choice to buy whatever size soda they want. People for the ban state the government is trying to help fight against obesity and that it cares about the people. But some things need to stay private. The government can’t control everything. Supporters of the ban say, while there are many loopholes, it’s a step in the right direction and at least the government is trying to do something. Still, the ban doesn’t even start to make an impact on obesity. If the government really wanted to stop obesity they would cut soda out all together. And soda isn’t the only component of obesity. By doing something else, like making physical education a bigger deal in schools, people would become less overweight.

The NYC soda ban shouldn’t be passed. It’s not effective enough to even put a dent in the massive issue. But more importantly people will lose the power to chose what portions they can buy. We have to think, how far can we let the government decide whats best for us? If the ban is passed, pounds aren’t what people will be losing, they will be losing their free choice.