In an effort to combat the obesity epidemic sweeping the U.S., San Francisco may be the first city in the country to enforce warning labels on advertisements for sugar-laden soft drinks, placing soda on par with alcohol and tobacco when it comes to dangers to your health.

Although an effort to push for statewide warnings failed earlier in the year, the measure was voted unanimously this time around by city supervisors, and will go before the Board of Supervisors next week for second approval.

If all goes well, and the mayor does not impose a veto, warnings will be required on billboards and other ads, stating: "WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco."

To put things in perspective, a single 12-ounce can of Coke contains 140 calories -- all of them from sugar. Each teaspoon of sugar contains 16 calories, and every time you chug a Coke, you're ingesting a whopping nine teaspoons. City officials believe people deserve to be warned.

"Requiring health warnings on soda ads also makes clear that these drinks aren't harmless -- indeed, quite the opposite -- and that the puppies, unicorns, and rainbows depicted in soda ads aren't reality," said Supervisor Scott Wiener, one of the 11 members on the board that unanimously approved the measure. "These drinks are making people sick, and we need to make that clear to the public."

Similar measures have been cropping up around the state. The city of Berkeley recently imposed a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary sodas and energy drinks, which adds about 12 cents per can of soda and 68 cents per two liter bottle. Similar measures in San Francisco have yet to pass, but the folks in Berkeley voted it in with a majority 75 percent.

But many feel the warnings and taxes are unfair impositions. Those opposing government regulation of sugary beverages feel it is their personal right to guzzle with abandon, despite the health hazards or warnings by federal agencies.

Scary statistics touted by the National Institute of Health show that more than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese in the U.S. About one-third of children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered overweight or obese, which equates to 1 in 6 young people.

These stats make for a grim future. With escalating rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer - all of which are associated with obesity -- the impact on our healthcare industry, work force, and most importantly, our mortality, are cause for serious concern.

Whether a warning will curb consumption is yet to be seen. But city leaders have a vested interest in improving the health of their citizens. Only time will tell if warning labels make people rethink those sugary sodas.