These drugs are turning into a band-aid on the fact that it's more profitable to sell addictive, high-calorie foods in the US than foods that promote long-term health.
We'll decay people's heart muscles before we put a tax on unhealthy food to help fund Medicare and Medicaid.
Fully 13% of the population lives in an area with restricted access to grocery stores[1]. Couple that with car-centric anti-pedestrian development[2] and you have a definitively societal problem. Addressing that with taxes on the individual will not address these causes, only shift the burden further onto the poor.
1. https://www.aecf.org/blog/communities-with-limited-food-acce...
2. https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/11/09/i...
Gotta start somewhere.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press...