A judge in New York already passed sentence on Mayor Bloomberg’s attempt to ban the sale of soft drinks larger than 16 ounces, and now students are passing their own sentence on the failed idea.

An editorial today in The Miami Hurricane, the student newspaper of the University of Miami, writes in favor of freedom and personal responsibility:

Recently, Michael Bloomberg, [mayor] of New York [city], mandated a soda ban. Although his ban was overturned earlier last week by a New York state judge, it aimed to restrict the sale of large sugary drinks at local movie theaters, restaurants and street stands.

As a society, being obese is not something we should work to become. However, no level of government should have the authority to dictate what we can and cannot consume.

Being obese is a health issue that needs to be addressed by the individual suffering from the condition, not by governmental authorities.

We can all agree obesity is a serious health issue in America. Unfortunately, some people keep trying to narrow the problem to one source: sugar. Such a narrow focus on such a complex problem won’t lead to better health.

Dr. David Katz, founding director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center explains, “A diet can contain sugar, and specifically fructose, and be optimal for health. A diet could be low in sugar, but high in sodium or trans fat, or deficient in fiber and omega-3 fat -- and be far from optimal.”

What Americans eat and drink to maintain good health is a conversation best had with a physician – not a politician.