If you drink soda in South Carolina, the state could soon try to restrict how you pay for it.

"I just think the government gets into too many things now," said Don Thompson. "You need to leave it up to people to make their own choice."

In an effort to attack the childhood obesity epidemic, health leaders don't want people to use food stamps to buy sugary drinks.

In South Carolina, 1.6 million people are obese and 875,000 people receive food stamps.

"It would help people's health risks, and slow down on some of the obesity," said Shirley Davis.

The state's health director wants to stop wasting money on empty calories.

"You treat your body the way you want to treat your body, but the government shouldn't be subsidizing it," said health director Catherine Templeton.

She says it's not a ban and those who want to buy soda can do it, just with their own money.

The goal now is to see if the federal government will allow it.

A similar effort in New York City failed.

Some think that South Carolina, or a group of three counties within the Palmetto, could be a good test case.

Others say "not so fast."

"It's just hard to know where to draw the line. There are fatty foods that aren't good for you that make you obese. I don't know how you'd police that -- if you started a list of items -- where would you stop?" Johnson said.