Banning substances and habits is a national pastime. The United States has abolished almost every drug, including alcohol, at one time in history. So it should come as no surprise that soda, hookah and Four Loko could end up on the cutting room floor in the coming years.
Laws pertaining to hookah establishments are becoming stricter, as indoor smoking policies earn decent ground with the non-smoking constituencies of lawmakers.
At UB, it is against the rules to even own a hookah in the dorms.
Sugary soft drinks are also becoming more of an issue, as nationwide obesity continues to broaden, especially for American children. Proposed soda taxes would hike the prices of the liquid treat as a monetary deterrent to the disadvantageous consumable.
Citing that the marketing of caffeinated alcoholic drinks targets underage drinkers, the U.S. attorney general's office has launched an investigation, planting the seed for their possible removal from the market. Lawmakers fear that the substances contain too much alcohol for their target customers.
But when will policymakers give credit to a customer's free will? It seems like many campaigns against the vice market forget that it is the people's choice to buy and consume unhealthy foods, drugs and drinks.
Hookah bars are not typically attractive because of their menu. A customer does not go into the hookah bar to sit down and eat some hummus. The main attractions at each of these establishments are the tall smoking devices that are illegal in other indoor venues.
So it seems unreasonable to enact policy that would make it difficult for hookah bars to stay in business. Everyone that goes there is expecting to do something unhealthy.
It is the same for soda and alcohol. People take responsibility for their choice to drink something that they know their body does not need.
Keeping alcohol away from younger people is an understated goal, but the idea of taking it away entirely lacks realistic worth, and it counterproductively sparks more of an interest in the proud youth of America who will try anything that they are not supposed to.
It seems to be an odd mix of the conservative notion that vices are immoral and the progressive argument that vices are a health issue. Both sides wish that they could shout reason into the ears of a "jonesing" population, while they decide (and attempt to press) what is best for people.
Both sides overlook the power of choice.
Even if all three – hookah, soda and alcohol – were banned from public use or from the market, people would find new ways to get a fix.
It is belittling that these incentives attempt to protect people from themselves. Stopping the sale or proliferation of accessories of vice will not stop people from doing bad things to their bodies.
