Is it okay to spend food stamps on soda?

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has raised a stir by asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow the city to prohibit food-stamp recipients from using food stamps to buy sugary drinks such as soda.

The mayor's request for the two-year ban was in keeping with his campaign to combat obesity and diabetes in New York, where both run rampant. The plan would allow officials to observe whether the ban appeared to affect people's health.

Proponents of the measure argue that it would encourage people to use their food stamps to buy more nutritious foods than empty-calorie sodas.

But others argue that such an action would add to the stigma associated with food-stamp use and that efforts to educate food-stamp users about making more nutritious food choices would be a more humane way to proceed.

What do you think? Is it okay for people to use food stamps to buy sodas? Please register your opinion by voting in this morning's poll.