Obesity rates are on the rise around the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.4 billion adults are overweight. Mayor Bloomberg carried out the "Soda Ban" legislation that aims at lowering many of the health related risks that are associated with the excess consumption of sugary drinks. Obesity is often interrelated with many other conditions, one of the most prominent being that of Type-2 diabetes. Even though many critics argue that the soda ban is an infringement on the consumer's freedom of choice, I'd like to differ. The ban does not eliminate the consumer's choice to drink soda and other sugar-filled beverages but rather it limits businesses from selling such drinks that are over the sixteen ounces mark. The government has put in to place previous regulations similar to the soda ban, in order to benefit the public. The driving force behind such a regulation is to help improve the health of millions of individuals who fail to recognize the implications that such beverages can ultimately have. As a consequence of the soda ban there will be a decrease in health related risks interlinked with sugary drinks, leading to a decline in health care related expenditures. .
The Mayor of The City of New York Michael R. Bloomberg put in forward a plan to help curb the obesity crisis in New York. In order to combat this issue Bloomberg created a law in NYC that bans soda and sugary drinks that are more than sixteen ounces in food establishments, movie theaters, and street vendors. In a press conference held at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY he states, "sugary drink consumption is a key driver of the obesity epidemic in the United States". People tend to drink what the container can hold. Bloomberg elaborates on how excessive consumption of sugary drinks can cause health risk like obesity and diabetes, which leads to major health problems like heart disease and hypertension.
