Nanny State
Are Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz Ignorant About Child Porn Penalties or Just Demagogic?
Even if the senators are genuinely confused, that underlines the recklessness of their attack on Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Belgium Decriminalizes Prostitution
Belgium is the first country in Europe to decriminalize selling and paying for sex.
Josh Hawley's Attack on Ketanji Brown Jackson Illustrates the Emotionalism She Criticized
The senator argues that questioning sex offender policies "endangers our children."
Ketanji Brown Jackson Explains to Lawmakers How Being a Lawyer Works
As expected, Tuesday's hearing was primarily made up of political theater.
Here Is What Ketanji Brown Jackson Said in the Harvard Law Review Article That Josh Hawley Found 'Alarming'
The Supreme Court nominee raised serious constitutional concerns about laws that punish sex offenders after they complete their sentences.
Josh Hawley Absurdly Suggests That Ketanji Brown Jackson Has a Soft Spot for 'Child Predators'
The Missouri senator's attack on the Supreme Court nominee elides crucial distinctions and ignores widespread judicial criticism of child pornography sentences.
Who Will Be the First Person To Go to Prison for Selling Flavored Tobacco or E-Cigarettes?
It’s likely to happen any day now.
Booze News: Party Bikes in Rhode Island, Hard Seltzer in Utah
Plus: tasting rooms in Alaska and liquor delivery in Alabama
Why Can't the CDC Tell the Truth About Smoking and Vaping by Teenagers?
The agency ignores downward trends in both kinds of nicotine use and obscures the huge difference in the hazards they pose.
With Just 10 Signatures, This Gas Station Owner Could Kill a Ban on Pumping Your Own Gas
Legislators in New Jersey and Oregon keep failing to repeal their states' bans on self-service gas stations. Is Massachusetts' small town direct democracy the solution?
The Sex-Ad Law FOSTA Was a Mistake. Some Lawmakers Want to Fix It.
The SAFE SEX Workers Study Act would look at the impact of FOSTA and the seizure of sites like Backpage and Rentboy.
Congress Seems Poised To Let the FDA Ban E-Cigarettes Containing Synthetic Nicotine
A spending bill provision would redefine "tobacco products" to include products that have nothing to do with tobacco.
Idaho Lawmakers Threaten To Jail Librarians for Letting Kids Read LGBT Books
A new bill would alter state law to remove an educational exception for disseminating works the community deems "harmful" to minors.
D.C. Managed To Lose $4 Million on Its Own Sports Betting App
Despite having a near-monopoly on districtwide betting, poor decisions and mismanagement led to millions in losses on GambetDC.
Why Are You Boycotting American Vodka To Punish Russia?
Only 1.2 percent of U.S. vodka imports come from Russia.
The Fuzzy Moral Line Between Drinkers and Bartenders
Were liquor suppliers across the world guilty of outrageous abuses that explain the prohibitionist response?
European Leaders Find Backdoor Way To Ban Porn on Social Media
Plus: Elon Musk accuses the SEC of trying to silence him, Elizabeth Warren gets her antitrust wish, and more...
214 Sex Workers Arrested in Super Bowl 'Human Trafficking' Mission
In addition, 201 "sex buyers" were arrested.
Biden's Antitrust Crusade Targets Alcohol
The alcohol sector has seen more than 6,000 new entrants, but the Treasury still thinks it has an antitrust problem.
Someone Placed a Record-Setting Super Bowl Bet From His Phone
But he still had to drive two hours to do it in a legal state.
Study: Seattle's Soda Tax Has Been Great for…Beer Sales?
The substitution effect is real.
Life Gets Better for Sports Bettors
But placing a wager on your favorite team is still illegal or too complicated in many states.
Pot Won't Be Advertised at Super Bowl, Though Players Will Probably Use It After
A proposed commercial by dispensary-locator company Weedmaps was sacked by NFL and NBC suits.
Ohio Mayor Warns That Ice Fishing Will Lead to Prostitution
Plus: Election laws and voter turnout, New York questions Spotify, and more…
Are Oregonians Ready To Pump Their Own Gas?
A bill would let Oregon gas stations turn their customers loose on a limited number of self-service pumps. Some drivers fear the freedom.
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.
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.
Maggy Krell Repackages Her Bogus Backpage Prosecution Into a Book
The pimping charges Krell helped bring against Backpage's CEO and founders were twice thrown out of court.
A Drive-Thru Window Saved His Business, but Now He's Being Forced To Shut It Down
Zoning officials concede Robert Balitierrez's drive-thru window isn't causing any problems. But they say it's a code violation and has to close anyway.
A Fresh New Year Means Fresh New Restrictions on Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
From California to Washington, D.C., new restrictions on gas-powered landscaping equipment are blanketing the nation.
'Should Police Arrest Sex Workers for Standing Around?' No, of Course Not.
Plus: Censorship in New York, how zoning laws are creating a housing crisis, and more...
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.
A New Study Finds That Smokers With No Plans To Quit Are Much More Likely To Stop Smoking If They Vape Every Day
The findings reinforce the case for nicotine vaping products as a harm-reducing alternative to cigarettes.
Christmas Travel Rebounds Despite Official Handwringing About Omicron
Plus: Swearing increased during the pandemic, progressives want to see the Build Back Better agenda enacted by executive fiat, and more...
The Biden Administration Crushes America's Brief Experiment in Showerhead Freedom
The Department of Energy's new energy efficiency rule drags us back to the dark days of 2013, when showers were allowed to emit no more than 2.5 gallons of water a minute.
Supreme Court Denies Breeze Smoke Stay Application
The justices show little interest in vaping regulation on the shadow docket, but may yet review the FDA's behavior in the regular course.
Senate Democrats Nix a Regressive, Unhealthy Vaping Tax Endorsed by the House
The perverse provision would have discouraged smokers from switching to a far less hazardous source of nicotine.
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.
Politicians Are Still Stuck on Prohibition
Nearly 90 years after the 21st Amendment ended America's failed experiment with banning alcohol, our leaders are still trying to tell us what to do.
Vaping Regulation Threatens a Lifesaving Smoking Alternative
Policy makers are acting as if saving the lives of smokers via harm-reducing alternatives counts for nothing.
How COVID-19 Changed Alcohol Forever
At least 20 states will permanently allow to-go cocktails, and more may be coming.
Justice Kavanaugh Asks FDA to Respond to Breeze Smoke Emergency Stay Application
Vaping regulation gets some attention on the Shadow Docket