Banning soda or any sugary drinks over 16 ounces could be against the
first amendment. On the other hand, it could be benificial by helping people get on track to a
healthier lifestyle. In New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
decided that he needed to push people in the right direction. The mayor’s goal is to
change the eating habits of the citizens, and some would agree that this new ban is
needed for health reasons. Most say it is against their rights for someone to
tell them what they can or cannot drink, however the intent of the ban was not to take
away people's rights but instead to help lead them in the right direction to a healthier
lifestyle.
In New York City obesity is beginning to become a problem due to poor health decisions. Oversized meals and
drinks have currently killed over 5,000 people from being overweight or obese.
Due to drinks being over sized, people are becoming diabetic. New York spends an
estimated $4 billion every year on medical care for people who are overweight. By only
allowing someone to buy a drink that is 16 ounces or less, it will drastically decrease their sugar
content. One is banned to buy sugary drinks in restaurants and other
venues. As the article states in the New York Times, “The same way that we’ve become acclimatized and normalized to
sodas that are 32 ounces, we’ve started to become acclimatized to prevalence of
obesity in our society.” We are now getting too used to oversized meals, we need to
stop eating when we are full. Some people do not know when to stop, which is one of the main causes of obesity.
One who is overweight would be against this new law because they eat
oversized meals as well as indulge in oversized sugar drinks. This does not
mean overweight people are the only ones who believe this ban is wrong, there
are many people that are healthy that also believe that this ban is wrong. They may believe that it is
against the rights of a human to do as you please. On the other hand, if people made healthier decisions on their own, then it would not matter if this ban on soda was put in action or not. People may not agree but when does everyone agree on the same things. This new ban will give people a wake up call that could potentially benefit them in the long run. If one doesn’t change their bad habit, then someone will need to do it for them, or at least help them change their ways. We have the power to make our own decisions but people tend to abuse their freedom. The ban on any sugary drinks over 16 ounces will help people realize how desperate we are to try and make everyone healthier and even our society.
The mayor of New York City is taking a stand on over sized sugary drinks, to encourage
a new step towards a better and healthier life. The mayor has taken the first
step in New York City, in hopes that other states will realize how big this step
could be and potentially follow his footsteps. There is a lot of controversy over the new law but in the long run it
will make New York City a healthier place to live. Hopefully, the new
ban will attract other cities to do the same and help people get back to healthy habits. If I was in this situation the
mayor is in, I would also take a stand in making healthier decisions for the people and also try to spread this idea to other states as well.