We all rely on vending machines more than we would really care to admit. It used to be that we would use them to sneak a late afternoon snack at work, or to get our hands on a cool, refreshing soda at the mall, but now we use them for everything it seems. There is no longer any need to run to the video store and fight with another customer over the last copy of the latest Hollywood hit. Now we just go to the DVD rental machines, which just so happen to be everywhere now, to get our movie fix. We can even stop at the local gas station on the way to work and pick up a delicious latte or fresh coffee right out of a machine.

The vending machine industry seems to know no boundaries these days, and a quick trip through the mall will likely reveal machines that sell MP3 players and other high priced electronics. There seems to be no end to what we will buy from a machine, but in some parts of the world the government wants to try and put an end to some items being sold. The first sign of government officials taking a stand was in San Francisco where the city banned the sale of a number of sodas in vending machines. Their argument was that the sodas were contributing to obesity, and the machines were at the heart of the problem.

That has now spread to the federal government who are looking to put legislation in place that will severely limit the types of food and drinks that can be put into vending machines in high schools across the country. The basic idea of offering kids healthier food choices is great, but if they have the money in their pockets to spend in the vending machines in the cafeteria, then doesn’t the government just think that they will hit the gas station or convenience store up the street and load up on their goodies there instead?

The biggest furor though may be taking place in Northern Ireland where the 3 year battle to get rid of cigarette vending machines finally ended in January. Again that legislation was aimed at children, with about 15% of teenage kids who admitted to smoking saying that cigarette vending machines were their main source of smokes. It’s another fine idea in theory, but what about the other 85% who admit to smoking? Where are they getting their cigarettes, and what is being done about that?

What seems to get lost in all of this self-righteous chest thumping about what we should or shouldn’t put in our bodies, is the role that parents play in their kids’ lives. Growing up in Scotland meant have to live on a steady diet of cigarette smoke and alcohol fumes, but kids also knew that if they were caught ingesting those items in any way other than second hand, there would be hell to pay. Maybe we need a little more of that rather than blaming a vending machine for the woes of the world.