Imposing Virtue by Government Edict Is Impossible
If you want to abstain from drinking or observe the Sabbath, then abstain from drinking and observe the Sabbath.
Alcohol
Virginia's Awful Alcohol Laws Could Finally Get Fixed, Thanks to COVID and Gov. Youngkin
Government-run booze stores in Virginia may have met their match.
New York's Liquor Store Lobby Fights Against To-Go Drink Sales by Bars, Restaurants
Making booze to-go rules permanent is the right policy choice, no matter what entrenched interests claim.
California Distillers Get a New Year's Eve Reprieve From Ban on Shipping Booze Direct to Customers
Distillers have been granted emergency regulatory relief—for now.
California Distillers Are About To Lose the Right To Ship Booze Directly to Consumers
Breweries and wineries can still do it, though.
Don't Crash Nashville's Boozy Party Bus Culture
No, we don't need more anti-alcohol laws—no matter how rowdy the bachelorette parties get.
How COVID-19 Changed Alcohol Forever
At least 20 states will permanently allow to-go cocktails, and more may be coming.
Your Next Car May Refuse To Start if It Thinks You've Had a Drink
Get ready to pay for new nanny-state technology and for bypassing the unwelcome intervention.
Stop The Steel: Biden Is Replacing Trump's Tariffs With Import Quotas
Biden will allow 3.3 million metric tons of European-made steel to be imported annually without tariffs. After that, Trump's 25 percent tariffs will remain in force.
To Save Bars and Restaurants, California Extends Relaxed Booze Rules
Newsom makes the smart move by preserving liberalized alcohol policies.
Craft Alcohol Makers Thrive as Government Launches Antitrust Investigation
The Prohibition-era three-tier system is causing consolidation, not the market.
Government Keeps Trying To Censor This Brewery. The Owner Isn't Having It.
"Do you really want to live in a country where government bureaucrats, based on whim and personal preference, can censor whatever they don't like?"
When Forced To Choose, Some New Mexico Gas Station Liquor Stores Will Now Just Sell Liquor
A paternalistic new law is having unintended consequences.
Why Is This Beer Banned in 15 States?
Plus: Doctor admits to breaking Texas abortion law, why child care centers can't find workers, and more...
Pennsylvania's Liquor Control Board Will Ration Booze Sales Because It Won't Admit That Prices Work
Price controls fail for other products, and liquor is no different.
Let's Make it Easier for Distillers To Ship Alcohol Directly to Adult Consumers
Congress can start by letting the U.S. Postal Service deliver booze to adults.
North Carolina Banned This Beer Because Bureaucrats Dislike the Label
Now they'll have to explain to a federal judge how this isn't a violation of the First Amendment.
The Good and the Bad in the 666 Bills That Took Effect This Week in Texas
While libertarians will be inclined to applaud some of the new laws, others exemplify familiar conservative excesses.
40 Ways Things Are Getting Better
"What has gotten materially better in America in, say, the last twenty years?" So! Much!
Massachusetts Could Lift Its Decades-Old Happy Hour Ban
The ban hasn't prevented deadly drunk driving incidents, but it is hamstringing bars and restaurants hurt by COVID shutdowns.
Was the MillerCoors Joint Venture Good for Craft Beers?
New empirical research suggests the answer is yes.
Senators Aim To Curtail Presidential Power Over War, Arms Sales, Emergency Declarations
Plus: The FBI had at least a dozen informants helping put together the plot to kidnap Michigan's governor, price controls fail again, and more.
An Unbeatable Sprinter Is Defeated by an Irrational Prejudice
Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension for marijuana use highlights an arbitrary distinction that makes less sense than ever before.
New York Will Put To-Go Cocktails on Ice
Special interests are trying to stuff newfound alcohol freedom back in the bottle as the pandemic ends.
Trump's Trade War With Europe Is Biden's Trade War Now
Monday's announcement of a truce in the conflict is good. Peace would be better. Biden should drop Trump's steel tariffs.
U.K. Study Suggests Grocers Should Be Banned From Selling Alcohol
Intervening in the U.K. alcohol market hasn't produced the desired effect, but experts want yet another bite at the apple.
Arbitrary THC Limits Could Wipe Out Much of the Cannabis Industry
If states generally don't limit the potency of distilled spirits, why is such a safeguard necessary for a much less hazardous product?
The Return of Reefer Madness in the GOP
Certain politicians and pundits are living in a 1930s fantasy world.
Consumer Groups Ask FDA To Force Alcohol Makers To Hide Facts from Consumers
Knowledge is probably not more dangerous than alcohol, but why risk it?
Tennessee Tries To Limit Residents' Access to Wine From Other States (Again)
After losing at the Supreme Court in 2019, state lawmakers are now targeting fulfillment houses in an attempt to stop consumers from buying what they want.
U.S. Lifts Tariffs on Scotch Whisky, but American Distillers Remain on the Rocks
The announcement signals a possible deescalation in the transatlantic trade war and raises hopes for a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement.
Seattle Forces Beloved Takeout-Only Cider Bar To Close
One complainer managed to shut down a popular local business.
American Distillers Face a Double-Shot of Tariffs in June. Will Biden Save Them?
Biden's new trade representative should outline a plan to remove the economically nonsensical and politically pointless tariffs on European steel and aluminum in order to deescalate this costly conflict.
Lawmakers in Hawaii, Texas, and Georgia Are Making Alcohol Sales More Difficult, While Pols in Alabama and Wisconsin Embrace Liberalization
Hawaii's 10-cent booze tax draws ire of brewers, while Alabama moves toward legalizing alcohol delivery.
Closing Bars and Restaurants Didn't Stop People From Gathering
Now officials in Chicago and New York are reconsidering their rules.
In a Last-Minute Reversal, HHS Voids FDA Fees on Distillers Who Produced Emergency Hand Sanitizer
Thanks to coverage at Reason and pushback from the industry, the federal government voided $14,000 fees on do-gooder craft distillers just in time for the new year.
When There Wasn't Enough Hand Sanitizer, Distilleries Stepped Up. Now They're Facing $14,060 FDA Fees.
Distilleries just learned that to cap off a brutal year, the FDA is charging them a fee normally reserved for drug manufacturing facilities.
'We're Not Doing Anything Wrong': This Pennsylvania Brewery Refuses To Obey State's Indoor Dining Ban
And it isn't alone. Pennsylvania has banned indoor dining through the end of the year, but dozens of businesses are banding together to defy the mandate.
Sally Satel: The Secret History of the Opioid Epidemic
The story of why pain relievers took root in Appalachia begins decades before the introduction of OxyContin.
The Ultimate 2020 Libertarian Gift Guide
Reason's writers and editors share their suggestions for what you should be buying your friends and family this year.
