Does Legalizing Sex Work Increase Human Trafficking?
A go-to study for advocates of restricting sex work used a flawed economic model and abysmal data.
Nanny State
With Proposed Glue Trap Ban, San Francisco Sides With the Pests
Glue traps are a cheap and effective pest control tool. Naturally, San Francisco is considering banning them.
Are We Still Living in 1999?
A new book argues that late-20th-century lowbrow culture created the modern world.
Cops Denied Qualified Immunity After Arresting Sober Teenager for DUI
"I blew a zero, so now you're trying to think I smoked weed?” Tayvin Galanakis asked the officer who arrested him in 2022. “That's what's going on. You can't do that, man.”
Are Trump's 'Liberation Day' Tariffs Illegal?
Several businesses harmed by Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs have filed a lawsuit challenging his use of emergency economic powers.
Gen Zyn: Nicotine Pouches Help Curb Youth Smoking Rates
As young adults swap cigarettes and vapes for oral nicotine products, policymakers should recognize this shift as harm reduction instead of cracking down on personal choice.
'Libertarian' Gov. Jared Polis Signs 'Restrictive' Gun Law and Booze Ban
Is the small-government Democrat beefing up state power?
All Vapes Are Flavored Vapes, Some Just Have Cigarette Flavors
A plea for more accurate descriptions of non-combustible nicotine products.
Cambridge Brothel Case: What's the Point?
Abandoning the "sex slave" narrative exposes the hollowness at the center of cases like this.
The New Prohibitionists Are Hijacking Federal Dietary Guidelines
The campaign to make America dry is as dubious as the campaign for the food pyramid.
The Supreme Court Blesses the FDA's Rejection of Flavored Nicotine Vapes
The justices unanimously overturned a 5th Circuit decision that deemed the agency's treatment of e-liquids "arbitrary and capricious."
Deported for Innocent Tattoos?
People are allegedly being classified as gang members for tattoos of crowns, clocks, and soccer logos.
The Hidden Politics of Whiskey Prices
Donald Trump is determined to make everything from Canadian whiskey to Mexican avocados more expensive. Can anyone stop him?
These States Are Moving in the Wrong Direction on Prostitution Laws
Twelve states are considering harsher punishments for soliciting sex.
Their Kids Said They Were Trans. Then CPS Came Knocking.
Across the country, parents of gender-dysphoric kids are confronting state intrusion.
Did ICE Deport This Guy Over a Real Madrid Tattoo?
We can't be sure, and that's why due process matters.
Pour One Out for Purchasing Power This St. Patrick's Day
Trump’s tariffs will kill the global trade that makes the holiday’s cultural celebration possible.
Trump Makes Canada Free Again
Canada’s retaliation against Trump’s tariffs is wiping American alcohol off store shelves—and fueling an unexpected push to deregulate its own restrictive liquor laws.
Trump's Threatened 200 Percent Tariffs on European Booze Are His Least Sensible Trade Move Yet
It would make American consumers poorer and hurt American businesses without any promise of benefits.
Study: Age-Verification Laws Don't Work
At least not if the goal is keeping minors from viewing porn.
A Sex Worker Called 911 In Distress. Cops Came to Her Hotel Room and Shot Her.
Linda Becerra Moran died on February 27 after nearly three weeks on life support. On Sunday, the LAPD released video of her being shot.
Pray for Us Zynners
New York's proposed ban on nicotine pouches ignores science, consumer choice, and the lessons of prohibition.
The Oscars Loved Anora. Did Sex Workers?
Anora has won five Oscars, ample praise, and some criticism.
Texas Cops Seized Photographs From a Museum and Launched Child Pornography Investigation
"It's shameful that government officials would use the criminal legal process to censor art and expression."
In Defense of Dollar Stores
Critics say they ruin communities and peddle cheap goods, but dollar stores thrive because they offer convenience and low prices where options are scarce.
Gambling Addiction Isn't Surging
A new study claims addiction is on the rise because internet searches for gambling terms are increasing.
Sell Flavored Tobacco in Massachusetts, Go To Jail
Massachusetts outlawed flavored tobacco. Now, just as criminal justice groups warned, a vape shop owner is serving time.
The Document That Explains Why Nationalists Keep Trying To Ban Porn
Do lawmakers believe they should be trying to make more Christians?
How Antitrust Crusaders Brought a Porn App to iPhones
The E.U.'s Digital Markets Act is making it easier for iPhone users to watch porn.
'Human Trafficking' Sting Yields 547 Arrests, but Only 1 for Human Trafficking
A(nother) look at how human trafficking panic gets made.
Trump Rolls Back FDA Menthol Ban
Biden's FDA pushed a prohibition that disproportionately targeted marginalized communities. Trump's reversal may mark a shift toward smarter drug policy.
Trump's Tariffs To Tank Tequila
The owner of a famous cocktail bar in Dallas warns that tariffs on Mexican imports will mean higher menu prices and reduced availability of specialty tequila.
Age Verification Laws Meet VPNs and Lawsuits in a War Over Speech and Privacy
A new crop of restrictive laws faces a friendly reception in the courts but ongoing public resistance.
The FDA Proposes a De Facto Cigarette Ban, Which Would Expand the Disastrous War on Drugs
Mandating negligible nicotine levels in tobacco products would create a big black market and criminalize currently legal transactions.
A Scary Government Report Implies That Moderate Drinking Is Manifestly Reckless
The focus on the health risks of alcohol consumption gives short shrift to the reasons people like to drink.
The Future of Online Porn Is At Stake Today
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a Texas case that could have major ramifications across the country—including, perhaps, the end of anonymity online.
Be Skeptical of 'Beneficially Coercive' New Rules for Booze
A New York Times essay helps illustrate why the surgeon general's new report on alcohol and cancer leaves out crucial context and nuance.
Massachusetts Court Weighs Whether All Prostitution Is Sex Trafficking
Five "traffickers" arrested for responding to an undercover cop's sex ad are challenging their convictions in the state's high court.
Another Study on Flavored Vaping Products the FDA Can Ignore
Evidence continues to accumulate that non-tobacco-flavored vaping products can help reduce or discourage smoking.
Texas Cop Chases Prostitution Suspect, Causes Car Accident, Gets Immunity
Houston police "initiated a high-speed chase to pursue a suspect evading arrest for paying $40 to solicit sexual activity from another adult," notes a Texas Supreme Court judge.
Why We Are Still Arguing About the Health Effects of Moderate Drinking
The evidence is vast but open to interpretation because observational studies are inherently ambiguous.
