I think people are overreacting a bit. They are not banning sodas outright, so I think it is a bit misguided to complain about regulating what consumers want to get, since, like many people mentioned, what's stopping them from just buying multiple small ones? In addition, I might be a bit biased, but I think the New York government is a bit more competent, and the slippery slope of OHMIGAWD BAN EVERYTHING is an easy response, but not necessarily a valid threat. Banning the upper extremes of soda sizes is not that major at all and was done after deliberation and discussion I'm sure. I'm comfortable in saying people elsewhere (and New York, themselves) do not have the guts to attempt something similar to this for other goods any time soon, or at least until the effects of this law have time to be seen. You can claim that it might lead to more rampant banning and government intervention in the future, but you don't know. What if this law ends up being extremely successful? It works well and people grow to accept it. Both of us are just speaking from gut feelings, and we simply cannot predict the future spot-on.
The point of this law is NOT to directly help reduce health problems. As was also mentioned, a ban on ALL sodas would be necessary to achieve that. This is more as a deterrent. A tax would also work well. I believe since Obama raised the tax on cigarettes to over a dollar per pack, rates of smoking have declined. There are 3 million less smokers now than before he signed the law, despite the population increasing. In addition, smoking rates in teens have dropped 10%, which may also be attributed to education and greater awareness (LOL like our country is effective at informing the public...).
In reality, the best they can achieve in terms of directly affecting consumption and health (and I do believe they can achieve it) is consumers buying the next largest drink size and simply ending there. All of those complaining that people can simply buy more, that is, of course, true. But I think most people would just pop in a store, grab a bottle, take it and leave, finish, and be done with it. We are all likely to just finish what we have in front of us, and unless we're feeling particularly gluttonous, we won't expend energy to get more. But for the average person, this law will help subconsciously reduce their intake. Those who are simply addicted to the sodas and must drink lots of it are not the main targets of this law.
And as for those of you who so adamantly claim that AH FAT PEOPLE ARE SO DUMB KILL YOURSELF YOURSELF, there is a psychological aspect of it that is simply impossible for you (I'm assuming as an average person) to fathom. Not long ago, there was a trainer obsessed with fitness who gained loads of weight and tried to take it off to understand what his clients were feeling. I don't need to regurgitate what he found, but the gist of it is that sometimes it simply takes more than a "little motivation" to get back into shape. It consumes your whole being and makes it extremely impossible to break out of the depression. But that was not my main point. My main point is that people at unhealthy weights take a massive toll on our nation's healthcare system (massive in multiple senses of the word, including the obvious pun as well as the sheer rates of obesity, which are mortifying). The healthcare system simply is struggling to keep up with the problems of the country, and every little step needs to be taken to work towards a better future.
So I took a bit too long spitting this out, but Cobraroll earlier and the poster above do a much better job touching on the consequences of our nation's obesity epidemic, so please pay attention to them instead!
AAAH LOOK AT ME I SUPPORT BIG GOVERNMENT
