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.
Nanny State
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.
Science-Based Policy Means Decriminalizing Sex Work, Say Hundreds of Researchers
Plus: ACLU joins fight for donor privacy, Parler drops lawsuit against Amazon, and more...
Michigan Farmer Rescued Injured Animals Without the Proper Permits. State Officials Have Charged Her With a Misdemeanor and Euthanized the Animals.
State officials euthanized six of Julie Hall's animals, including Sassy, a blind raccoon, and Po, a one-legged crow.
Democrats Demand Bureaucrats Regulate Bureaus More Heavily
The STURDY Act would mandate new testing standards to prevent dressers from killing people.
Federal Suit Seeks Damages for Men Illegally Recorded at Florida Massage Parlors, Falsely Smeared as Sex Traffickers
Two women still face felony charges, though the cases against all male defendants were dropped.
Conviction for Praising Prostitutes (as "Promoting Prostitution") Upheld
Not sure that paying for sex makes you an "extraordinary gentleman," even if you do try to "give something back" by providing expert consumer reviews.
California Bill Would Give $1,000 Fines to Retailers With Separate 'Girls' and 'Boys' Toy Sections
The proposed bill from Assembly Members Evan Low and Cristina Garcia would require stores to have one unisex section for children's products and apparel.
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.
Larry Flynt Made the World Freer for Everybody by Pushing Boundaries
Abrasive, tasteless, and uncompromising, Flynt undoubtedly made the world safer for speech of all varieties.
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.
Menthol Cigarette Bans Will Fail Like Every Other Prohibition Scheme
The winners in every battle over restrictions are the people who do whatever they please without regard for government officials.
In a Year of Wild Conspiracy Theories, Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Is a Classic
Plus: A reminder that censorship backfires, Wyoming city considers ban on "performance prostitution," and more...
A Higher Minimum Wage Lowers Opportunities for America's Poorest Workers
Minimum wage jobs aren't supposed to be career choices, but stepping stones on the way to other things. Everyone has to start out somewhere.
Cops Must Destroy Illegal Surveillance Videos From Spa Visited by Robert Kraft
Authorities "shall destroy the videos unlawfully obtained through the surveillance of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa," a federal judge says.
Fort Worth Regulators Target Community Fridges Providing Free Food for People in Need
Using obscure laws to prevent people from helping each other is obscene.
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.
The U.K. Uses COVID-19 to Justify More Nanny State Junk Food Crackdowns
Bans on ads, displays, refills, and buy-one-get-one-free offers
