Mayor Bloomberg’s “Soda Ban” has become a reality. The ban was proposed to help curb the epidemic of obesity in the city. But is it a ban? Not really. It’s a cap placed on the size of beverages. You can still buy 2 or more beverages if you like.

Previously, the Mayor had championed a general smoking ban in public spaces that included parks and plazas. This was largely based on the idea that it was in the interest of public health and other municipalities have seen positive outcomes. One example of such improvement over public health after a smoking ban comes from Pueblo, Colorado where a 27% decrease in heart attack cases resulted from a ban while surrounding municipalities had unchanged rates.

The large beverage cap was a discussion on a recent Science Friday. Do you think we will see public health benefits from a beverage cap? Check out the discussion on Science Friday and figure out where you fit in on the debate. Do you see this figuring in to ameliorating the obesity issue? Will the public truly benefit from this? What do you think about the marketing campaign and the formation of artificial grassroots movements that are sponsored by the American Beverage Association who benefit from the increased sales of their product?