Mayor Bill de Blasio, who ran on promises to steer the city away from many of the policies and priorities of Michael Bloomberg, has been wise to embrace his predecessor’s strong commitment to public health.
Because Mr. Bloomberg tilted against an array of scourges — tobacco, trans fats, calories, bullets — New Yorkers are living longer and healthier lives. His plan to ban the sale of sugary drinks in extra-large cups, however, was an overreach that was struck down by a state court in March 2013 just before it was to take effect.
Now Mr. de Blasio is talking to health advocates and beverage executives about reviving the cup ban, according to The Wall Street Journal. If the aim is to persuade people to change their soda-drinking habits, prohibiting certain serving sizes is ineffective; a thirsty soda-lover will still find his way to a 32-ounce Slurpee, via one refill of a 16-ounce cup.
The mayor would do better to educate and encourage people, especially schoolchildren, to make smarter choices. Widely available public information like calorie counts, and scary but honest public-service advertising, can go a long way toward promoting better health.
[For more of this story go to http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10...r=rssnyt&emc=rss]
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