(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

It is human nature to bristle at suddenly being told we are no longer allowed to do something we have always been able to do. Logic doesn’t tend to play into that reaction. And when it comes to the nanny state, it is often our most vulnerable, least-resourced people who get told the government knows better about what is good for them than they do.

Of course, it IS true that sugary sodas are not a healthy beverage option if they are consumed regularly. One can understand how state government was able to spin a planned ban on the use of SNAP benefits to purchase sugary drinks and candy as a public health measure.

(Given the purported motivation for such an effort, however, it’s hard not to wonder why lawmakers haven’t had the political will to raise taxes on tobacco products in the state for a decade.)

But one can also understand why affected SNAP participants brought a legal challenge.

In both the sugary sodas effort and the attempt to ban food dyes and additives, however, elected officials appear to have gotten ahead of themselves. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled this week that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins overstepped her authority when she approved SNAP waivers for Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia that would have allowed the ban. Jackson said the bans had been approved under a provision meant for administrative efficiency, rather than health-based restrictions. The food dyes and additives ban has also been paused due to a separate federal judicial ruling.

“We are disappointed by the court’s decision but remain convinced that precious taxpayer subsidized resources should only be spent on healthy, nutritious food for those who need help the most,” said Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s communications director Lars Dalseide. “Our commitment to improving the health of West Virginians has not changed, and we will continue to advance commonsense policies that encourage healthier choices and better outcomes.”

We must hope that, rather than pouring effort into imposing bans that have already run into federal hurdles, that commitment will include improving access to affordable healthy food choices; and truly addressing many of the other public health crises facing Mountain State residents.