PROVIDENCE Should Rhode Island impose an extra tax on sugary drinks? Cola-Cola? Gatorade? Sweetened lemonade mix?
In past years, the drive focused on the potentially unhealthy results of ingesting too much sugar, including the obesity epidemic in America. Advocates have revised their pitch this year.
They are proposing to divert the money raised by the proposed new tax on sugary drinks and powders to a 50% discount on the price paid for fruits and vegetables by people with SNAP benefits (formerly known as Food Stamps).
The end-goal: reducing the consumption of sugary drinks . [which raise] the risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity . conditions that disproportionately harm people of color, Dr.