The American Heart Association launched a digital ad campaign in Massachusetts this week to raise awareness of the dangers of sugary drink consumption and advocate for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Over the next several months, the Association will be running ads on two online outlets that cover Massachusetts politics — Politico’s Massachusetts Playbook and the MASSter List.
Readers of Politico’s Massachusetts Playbook will see ads advocating for a sugary drink tax this week.
The facts on sugary drinks are simple. They pose a real health risk.
Kids especially are drinking too many of them. All those sweet drinks contribute to major health problems for our children, like increasing rates of diabetes and heart disease. And with our country already spending $190 billion per year treating these preventable diseases, we need to address the problem.
As we look to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, the American Heart Association believes we should take a page from a growing number of places across the country that have adopted taxes on sugary drinks. These taxes raise much needed revenue for important priorities.
Early research also shows that they are effective at reducing consumption. Learn more about this issue here.