The Pros And Cons Of The Soda Pop Ban

This year, 5,000 more of New York’s citizens will fall victim to an epidemic raging across the country. Obesity can affect anyone, from our children, to our mothers, and even the elderly, and its nestled its way into the plaque filled hearts of 1/3 of America’s population (Bloomberg et al.). For this reason, New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg has proposed a ban on soda pop sales over 16 ounces. This has proven to be a highly controversial decision, with those opposing the ban claiming that it inhibits their freedom of choice; others state that the ban will not work because consumers can purchase more than one 16-ounce drink. Nevertheless, the ban has sparked an important discussion on healthy consumption. With soda being such a large contributor

But will the ban cut enough calories out of the average New Yorker’s diet to make an impact? The soda pop ban may restrict drink sizes, however, it doesn’t restrict the quantity of purchasable beverages. Notably, this means that consumers can simply purchase more than one drink, entirely bypassing the ban. If New Yorker’s are interested in shedding a few pounds, Bloomberg’s ban seems like an awfully ineffective method of doing so. As Robert Higgs, who has a Ph.D. in Economics said, “[Customers] would have chosen to consume X even had [they] known…about its risk, because [they] would have regarded the risk as worth taking in order to gain the expected benefits” (Higgs, p. 4). Given the known risks associated with drinking excessive amounts of soda, consumers would still drink to their hearts content because of its sweet and addictive taste. New York City’s soda pop ban won’t stop consumers from buying more than one 16 oz. drink. However, by outright prohibiting the sale of larger soda sizes, consumers will learn that a 32 oz. soda can be more detrimental to their health than they first were aware. For instance, the “Distinguished Professor of Economics,” James Buchanan, argued that learning the