In "Guard rail for pop" (Forum, June 8), Jens Hammer argued that "capping soda drinks at 16 ounces (not a small portion, mind you) is no different than installing a guard rail."

Instead of such intrusive regulation, and because obesity and its cause (calorie overconsumption) is a national health problem on par with smoking, we should treat obesity as seriously as we do cigarettes:

(1) Hyper tax sugar and fat and dedicate the revenues to obesity treatment and research; (2) put offensive warning labels on soda drink cups and bottles, with large, graphic pictures of amputated diabetic feet.

The average adult male should consume between 2000 and 2500 calories a day (less for women). A 44-ounce Super Gulp of Coca-Cola from 7-Eleven (with 6 ounces of ice) contains a whopping 512 calories — all from non-nutritional sugar!

The even larger 55-ounce Double Gulp contains 744 calories — one-third of recommended total daily calories. (A 12-ounce can has "just" 140 calories.)

No wonder Americans are getting fat!

If we're not going to ban drinks larger than the 240-calorie 20-ounce drinks in those plastic bottles, we should at least require warning labels: Warning! Regularly consuming this drink leads to heart disease and early death.

Jeff Cole

Salt Lake City