As a dietitian with expertise in the area of pediatric and young-adult nutrition, I am gravely concerned about the proposed exemptions to the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax. Current exemptions under consideration from Boulder City Council would allow "mixers" for alcoholic beverages to be tax-exempt. Mixers, commonly consumed in high quantities by college-aged students, are very high in sugar and calories. Nearly 33 percent of U.S. undergraduates are overweight or obese, and they are particularly vulnerable to weight gain during this period of emerging adulthood. Young adults also consume more sugar-sweetened beverages than any other demographic, contributing, on average, an extra 500-600 nutrient-poor calories per day. Part of the reason for this high rate of consumption is that college-age students are heavily targeted in advertising and marketing campaigns by the beverage industry, which spends nearly $900 million annually marketing sugar-sweetened beverages.