Maine wants to stop people from buying candy and soda with food stamps

Maine health officials proposed a ban Monday that would prevent people from using food stamps to buy candy and soda, Reuters reports.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will have the final say on the federal aid program's restrictions in Maine, a state where about 28 percent of people are obese, according to 2014 self-reported data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Federal rules allow the purchase of soda, candy, and other junk food with food stamps, but not tobacco or alcohol.

"Healthy eating has the potential of trimming the waistline of both the benefit recipients and state government," said Mary Mayhew, Maine's Department of Health and Human Services commissioner.

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Mayhew was appointed by Gov. Paul LePage, a Tea Party-backed Republican who Reuters reports has sought to prioritize welfare reform.