Here is a simple rule - does the law proposed increase or decrease liberty? If it decreases liberty it probably is a bad law and should not be passed.
I agree, but you seem to be implying that this law would decrease liberty. The original article in the NEJM explains that sugary drinks externalize their costs to the health industry. If we can agree with the science, then the fact is that everyone with health insurance is currently being forced to cover the costs of other people's consumption decisions. That is lack of liberty. The proposal will make people pay for their own decisions, so you don't have to. That's liberty.
Solutions are obvious if one only has the optical power to observe them over the horizon. -- K.A. Arsdall