Civil Disobedience: Starbucks Will Defy New York's New Regulation Of Drink Sizes

Today is the last day you can buy large-sized sugary drinks in New York City thanks to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban, but coffee house giant Starbucks has announced that they’ll be defying the law.

Or, maybe defy isn’t the right word. They’re going to continue offering their largest sized drinks based on what they interpret as a loophole in the law:

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Monday is the last day New Yorkers will be able to buysuper-sized sugary drinks in New York City.

The cola crackdown goes into effect on Tuesday. The new regulation puts a 16-ounce limit on sugary drinks sold at city restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts and applies to both bottled and fountain drinks.

The ban but does not include grocery or convenience stores that don’t serve prepared food. It also does not apply to diet soda, other calorie-free drinks or anything that has at least 50 percent milk or milk substitute. …

Starbucks announced it plans it will continue offering 20 ounce venti-sized drinks because of the milk content. Like Dunkin’ Donuts, customers will also be able to add their own sugar.

Speaking Sunday on CBS News’ “Face The Nation,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg called Starbucks’ plan “ridiculous.”

“Starbucks knows how to market things, knows how to package things,” he said. “They can change instantly when it’s in their interest to do so.”

Is there anything more ridiculous than the idea of the government regulating drink sizes?