Plastic straws

are vital for some people.
The State Government is thinking about banning them. I have said elsewhere that this might not work.
Now someone has attempted to argue with me on Twitter. S/he (and I suspect he) has said,"Take your own."
It is not that simple. Many people with disabilities who need a straw to drink with don't have the capacity to do that. They have to rely on other people. Carers can be notoriously unreliable and forgetful. I know just what could happen in those circumstances. Everyone heads out the door and, shopping done, they decide to  have a drink at the local cafe before heading home.
Oops! The cafe no longer provides plastic straws. The paper straws provided are no good to Sam/antha because of a bite reflex. That person then faces the indignity of being fed  in public instead of being able to discreetly use a straw.
Should have brought your own? Yes, it is an argument that could be made but straws are being provided so why not provide the sort everyone can use? 
Not available at the cafe? Does that also mean not available in the supermarket? Quite possibly it could. Will the government eventually ban the import of them? 
The physical act of drinking is a complex task. It may not seem like that to people who can unthinkingly fill a glass with water, lift it to their lips and swallow it - but it is. There are many people with disabilities who cannot manage it. Some of those rely on straws.
Banning something seems a simple way of solving a problem - and I agree that single use plastics are a problem. In this case however it creates another problem. It further disadvantages a group of people who are already disadvantaged. It takes away their right to a small act of independence and their dignity.
It is another example of "one size fits all". That is an approach which never works.