Defending the Soda Tax

Research released recently by researchers from Drexel University in Philadelphia concluded that taxes on soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages can reduce consumption of these drinks. Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study focused on the soda tax in the city of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania lawmakers are weighing a measure to abolish this tax in Philadelphia.

Last year, the journal Perspectives in Biology and Medicine released a special issue with a pair of essays advocating for more soda taxes. The two authors - Dr. Neal Baer, a television writer and producer and a pediatrician, and Dr. John Maa, a San Francisco-based surgeon - provide a concise history of the obesity epidemic and its connection to the consumption of soda in their articles. They joined us for separate interviews about the issue and why they feel tackling the problem of soda is important to the health of Americans.