Valdosta, GA - September 13, 2012

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been pushing for a ban on sodas that are larger than 16 ounces in New York City. On Thursday, September 13, he got his wish. The board of health approved the ban for soft drinks served at restaurants, street carts and movie theaters... enacting the first restriction of its kind in the entire country. That decision has Georgia residents divided.

Valdosta Resident David Stephens said "I think it's the big government nanny state striking again. Telling us we're too stupid to make our own decisions, going farther away from the constitiution that said that men and women that aren't harming each other deserve to be free to make their own decisions in their lives."

Another Valdosta Resident, Joseph Alvarez, said "I completely understand why Mayor Bloomberg did it in New York. Obesity is a huge problem in America. An abundence of soda, a lot of soda is unhealthy. period."

The soft drink industry has spent more than $1 million dollars on a PR campaign opposing the ban. At this current time there is no immediate plan for instituting the same rule in Georgia. The New York Health Department said that five thousand new yorkers die annually for reasons related to obesity.

The ban in New York City is set to take effect in six months, unless it is blocked by a judge.