In an attempt to keep sugary beverages from exploding in the bellies of innocent New York children, the Alliance for a Healthier New York is staging a soda "buyback" today in East New York. Modeled after the successful gun buyback programs, the group is giving gift certificates good for fresh fruits and vegetables at city farmers' markets to.families who turn in their cans of soda and other sugary drinks. One can of soda will fetch a $2 voucher, while a 2-liter bottle will fetch a $6 one.
The same group is also pushing for a tax on soda and similar beverages, but the idea seems to be going nowhere in Albany. But The Daily News got some reactions from Brooklynites on the ongoing War on Soda, with the most trenchant analysis coming from 24-year-old massage therapist Jzhontavia Lane of Bed-Stuy. "Tax it up. Soda is toxic," declared Lane "But I don't know if it's going to work. Sugar is addictive. It's like cocaine, no matter how much it is some people are still going to buy it."
