New York City's mayor thinks giant sugary drinks the size of a Big Gulp are a bad idea, and he's taking radical action against them. To combat rising obesity rates, as well as diabetes and heart disease, Michael Bloomberg wants to ban sodas and many other sweetened drinks from being sold in large sizes -- 16 ounces and up -- at restaurants, food carts, delis, sports arenas and movie theaters. More than half of New York adults are overweight, says Dr. Thomas Farley, the city health commissioner. Critics call Bloomberg a "nanny mayor" trying to ban legal, popular products.

His target is jumbo sodas, sugar-sweetened fruit beverages and pre-sweetened coffee and tea. All still could be sold in supermarkets, but not in many places where they're typically consumed right away -- "the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity," as The New York Times puts it. If the Board of Health goes along with the mayor who appointed its members, last week's amendment to the city health code could take effect next March -- with fines up to $200 for selling banned sizes.

Skeptics note that soda fans could buy several smaller containers, typically paying more for the same amount -- which critics say would hurt lower-income consumers the most. "I'm afraid this proposal is targeted more at class than obesity," says economist David Just of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. This is Bloomberg's latest health-related initiative. New York is the first city to require calorie counts on menus and the first to force restaurants to phase out artificial trans fats. The city also bans smoking in at parks, plazas and beaches, as well as bars and restaurants.

Mayor says: "Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, 'Oh, this is terrible.' New York City is not about wringing your hands; it's about doing something." -- Michael Bloomberg

Beverage executive says: "The city is not going to address the obesity issue by attacking soda because soda is not driving the obesity rates." -- Stefan Friedman, New York City Beverage Association

Professor says: "Controlling sugary beverage portions sizes is critical for reducing weight gain and risks of diabetes in the U.S." -- Barry Popkin, nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina