The U.S. Has Strayed Far From Its Founding Ideals
Governments at the state, local, and federal levels can obstruct our pursuit of happiness and at times even jeopardize our safety.
Nanny State
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.
Want to Reduce the Danger of Illegal Fireworks? Legalize Them.
Prohibitions drive hazardous activities underground, which makes them more risky.
Celebration of Life for Margo St. James
St. James fought for sex workers at a time when the mainstream U.S. feminist movement was hostile to them and leftist organizers portrayed them as victims.
FOSTA's Failure: The 2018 Sex Trafficking Law Has Been Worse Than Useless So Far
The only thing FOSTA has done is chill speech and make catching sex traffickers more difficult.
Virginia Says You Can Gamble On This, But Not That
Casinos, sports betting, and even online lottery sales are okay. Electronic skill games have no such luck.
Cigars Aren't Cigarettes. A New Bill Proposes That the FDA Regulate Them Accordingly.
A bipartisan bill in Congress seeks to get the FDA out of the premium cigar industry.
D.C. Council's Ban on Flavored Tobacco Products Is a License for More Over-Policing of Minorities
Legislators cannot have it both ways.
Don't Be Surprised When Stupid Laws Are Maintained With Force
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids railed against cops for enforcing the same kind of anti-vaping rule they help pass.
Cops Tased and Beat Teens While Enforcing a Local Vaping Ban
Dumb laws lead to police brutality.
Oregon's New Vaping Restrictions Will Drive Kids to Smoke
Officials publicly congratulate themselves for protecting teens, but they know that they’re prodding young people to switch to cigarettes.
Study Finds Vapers Not More Likely To Get COVID-19
The pervasive anti-vaping narrative at the beginning of the pandemic had real consequences.
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.
Barely Legal Strippers Now Fully Illegal in Texas
The penalty for employing 18- to 20-year-olds to work nude, topless, or "in a sexually oriented commercial activity" is now 2 to 20 years in prison.
Did San Francisco's Ban on Flavored Tobacco Products Increase Teen Smoking?
Further evidence that well-intentioned regulation of vaping products can have negative consequences for public health.
Teen Cigarette Smoking Went Up Following Flavored Tobacco Ban
Plus: Debate over critical race theory bans, Oklahoma City takes on major occupational licensing reform, and more...
Texas Deputies Say They Were 'Molested and Traumatized' by Colleagues During Federally Funded Prostitution Stings
Plus: Georgia loses suit over anti-boycotting law, conservatives rally against Biden's IRS plan, and more...
The White House Is Hoping New Vaccine Partnership With Dating Apps Will Convince Singles To Get Their Shots
This new initiative will "help people meet people who have that universally attractive quality: They've been vaccinated from COVID-19," said White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt.
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.
New Lawsuit Argues That D.C.'s Ban on Dancing at Weddings Violates the First Amendment
A bride-to-be says the regulation is an irrational and unconstitutional restriction on her special day.
Former Oregon House Speaker Gets Busted by Prostitution Law He Helped Put in Place
Portland police are calling it "human trafficking," but it was just an old-fashioned vice bust.
Freedom Becomes a Long-Haul COVID Victim
Emergency measures to deal with the crisis are likely to linger long after COVID-19 is gone.
Everyone Should Be Able To Bet on the Kentucky Derby From Anywhere
Six states don’t allow any horse racing bets, but others still make it difficult.
Tepid Reopenings Are Producing the Most Absurd Pandemic Regulations Yet
Washington, D.C., policy makers are pairing their very gradual reopening with a series of complicated, confusing, and unworkable regulations.
The FDA Wants To Lower Nicotine in All Cigarettes, Which Will Make Smokers Smoke More
This is the same agency that cost thousands of lives with its botched vaccine rollout.
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.
A D.C. Blues Bar Ran a Mini-Vaccine Drive for Employees and Performers. Now Its Owner Wants the Right To Reopen.
Madam's Organ owner Bill Duggan says opening venues for the vaccinated would be a "win-win-win." Artists could perform, businesses could make money, and people would have one more reason to get their shot.
The Government Is Making Us Fat and Susceptible to Viruses
The vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are overweight. Why won’t the government stop subsidizing junk food?
Manhattan Will Drop Charges for Prostitution and Unlicensed Massage but Continue Prosecuting Prostitution Patrons
The Nordic Model comes to Manhattan.
The FDA's War on Nicotine Will Encourage Americans To Smoke More Cigarettes
America's public health officials continue to undermine public health.
Blue States Reopen Their Economies but Double Down on Mask Mandates
Connecticut, California, Oregon, and Colorado have all signaled that their mask mandates will outlast their pandemic restrictions on businesses.
Why Are CBD Cocktails Still Prohibited in California?
For insomniacs and pain patients, CBD cocktails can be a better alternative to traditional ones.
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.
Florida Lawmakers Are Cracking Down on Secret Snitches
Two state bills would generally prohibit local code enforcement officials from acting on anonymously reported violations.
Backpage Judge Accused of Bias Will Remain on Case
Plus: Effort to decriminalize psychedelics gains traction in California, crony capitalism at its worst, and more...
Matt Gaetz Story Shifts From Child Sex Trafficking to Consorting With Sugar Babies
Plus: Marijuana legalization in New Mexico, Republicans are coming for OnlyFans, and more…
Violent Crime in Baltimore Plunges After City Ditches Prosecution of Prostitution, Drug Possession, Other Minor Offenses
Plus: The "infrastructure plan" that isn't, the Institute for Justice challenges cash seizures at airports, and more...
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?
Sex Trafficking Panic and Victim Blaming Follow Atlanta Massage Parlor Murders
Rhetoric around the shootings risks putting massage workers everywhere in more danger.
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.
These Big Tech Bills Are Unconstitutional. State Lawmakers Don't Care.
Plus: Problems with the PRO Act, what libertarian feminism isn't, and more...
The Town That Didn't Lock Down
A Reason reporter went to Paso Robles, California, where many businesses defied state orders to close. He enjoyed it. He also got COVID.
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.
