Alcohol
How Protectionist Wine and Liquor Laws Violate the Constitution
The Commerce Clause protects free trade between the states.
Pennsylvania's Liquor Monopoly Is Imposing a New Fee That Will Cost $15 Million Per Year
The new warehousing fee targets booze producers, but drinkers could end up paying most of the tab.
Tom Lehrer Satirized the National Security State From the Inside
The Cold War comedian and rumored Jell-O shot inventor had a lesser known side as an NSA operative.
Michigan Wineries Win $50 Million in Fight Against Local Zoning Rules
A federal judge ruled that Peninsula Township’s former restrictions on music, events, and grape sourcing violated the rights of local wineries.
New Hampshire's New Booze Law Will Hamstring the State's Brewpubs
Despite passing two bills to reduce barriers to enjoying a drink, the Granite State is making it harder for brewpubs to grow.
Americans Don't Party Enough. Here's How To Change That.
In our increasingly antisocial world, the best way to bring people together is a good party. This weekend, if possible.
Cincinnati's Beer-Loving Germans Endured Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Alcohol Resistance
The city's German immigrant experience suggests that immediate assimilation isn't necessary to eventual assimilation.
America Has Plenty of Experience With Government-Run Stores, and It Isn't Pretty
New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to open city-owned grocery stores. The U.S. already has a few, and they're a cautionary tale.
Some Federal Agencies Are Actually Getting More Efficient
Downsizing pushed the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to adopt tech solutions that it could have tried years ago.
How Making GLP-1s Available Over the Counter Can Unlock Their Full Potential
Drugs like Ozempic might not only address obesity but also alcoholism, smoking, and drug addiction.
The Supreme Court Said States Can't Discriminate in Alcohol Sales. They're Doing It Anyway.
Two decades after Granholm v. Heald was supposed to end protectionist shipping laws, states and lower courts continue to undermine the decision.
Trade War Means Higher Prices, Fewer Customers for This Vermont Distillery: 'It's Just Chaos'
Scenes from a trade war.
ESG Is Coming for Your Candy Bars
As climate and equity proposals lose steam, activist investors are targeting junk food, soda, and alcohol in the name of corporate responsibility.
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.
'Libertarian' Gov. Jared Polis Signs 'Restrictive' Gun Law and Booze Ban
Is the small-government Democrat beefing up state power?
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 Hidden Politics of Whiskey Prices
Donald Trump is determined to make everything from Canadian whiskey to Mexican avocados more expensive. Can anyone stop him?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Surgeon General Gins Up a Questionable Drinking Causes Cancer Scare
Stealth alcohol prohibition in the guise of an anti-cancer campaign.
Moderate Drinking Linked to Lower Overall Mortality Rate, Says National Academy of Sciences
So let's all enjoy a moderate toast to a Happy New Year!
Review: Illustrating Britain's Victorian Booze Restrictions
Temperance activists argued that "the people" should have a say in how many alcohol sellers could serve a given neighborhood.
Donate to Reason To Keep the New Prohibitionists at Bay
Give us your money to keep the government out of your cocktails, your cherries, your raw milk, your psychedelics, and other forms of fun.
The 2024 Gift Guide for Freedom Lovers
From art to vice to games and maybe a little magic, Reason's staff is here to help you with your gift giving.
Kentucky Seizes People's Booze, Auctions It Off To Fund Anti-Booze Group
Selling vintage spirits is better than pouring them down the drain, but the state shouldn't use the proceeds to fund a private corporation.
Hanover Police Selectively Enforce Underage Drinking Laws Against Dartmouth Students
Criminal prosecution is an inappropriate response to tragedy.
Beer Lobby Wants Restrictions and Higher Taxes on Intoxicating Hemp Products
The proposal brings to mind the classic "bootleggers and Baptists" theory in which both moralists and competitors oppose a substance.
Chicago Mayor Johnson's Budget Betrayal Would Raise Taxes on Small Businesses
A proposed alcohol tax hike will hit immigrant-owned liquor stores while city spending on nonessential projects remains high.
Abolish the Federal Alcohol Tax and Regulation System
The states already overregulate alcohol. There's no need for a federal layer of red tape.
Your Right To Booze Could Be Impacted No Matter Who Wins the Presidential Election
From tariffs to dietary guidelines, this election may bring the biggest federal changes to alcohol since Prohibition’s end.
The Sindex: Airfares Have Fallen Below Prepandemic Levels
The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.
Napa's Wineries Battle Local Restrictions
In the heart of California Wine Country, rigid local rules are choking small businesses and stifling growth
A D.C. Cocktail Bar Takes on Taboos
"The more you tell people they can't have something, the more they want it."
Longtime Ban on Home Distilling May Finally End
Why is making spirits for personal use any of the government’s business in the first place?
New USDA Organic Rules Put Wine Importers in a Bind
Government incompetence strikes again, turning the wine industry upside down with red tape and confusion.
To Get Through the Election, Drink Chartreuse
A bitter election calls for a cocktail—and a lesson in the lunacy of price controls.
