On Thursday, April 12, 2012, George Zimmerman was charged with the 2nd-degree murder of Trayvon Martin. Sources say that Martin was an unarmed 17-year-old with no criminal record. But was Martin actually unarmed? The answer is a resounding no. Witnesses say he was carrying a soft drink and candy. Sugar is the driving mechanism behind America’s current obesity epidemic and the concurrent rise of diabetes and heart disease.

Just ask Dr. Robert Lustig, a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. Lustig’s research suggests that sugar is nothing short of poison, and in particular, that high-fructose corn syrup is “the most dangerous additive known to man.”

It was clearly in the realm of possibilities that Martin threatened to shove a yellow Starburst down Zimmerman’s throat, which could have easily sent Zimmerman into severe diabetic ketoacidosis. Zimmerman had no choice but to shoot. We have a responsibility, as citizens of the United States, to reduce Zimmerman’s prison sentence. If we don’t, sugar wins.

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