Ross Douthat: 'When They Take the Porn, You Can Curse My Name'
New York Times columnist and Decadent Society author defends prohibitionism in a conversation on The Fifth Column.
Nanny State
Trump's Tariffs Are Hiking the Price of Your Favorite Whisky
American whisky and wine drinkers are being punished for trying to amicably trade what they have for what they want.
Senators Push Sneaky Anti-Privacy Bill
The EARN IT is an attack on encryption masquerading as a blow against underage porn.
Even in California, Nearly All Patients With Vaping-Related Lung Injuries Used Black-Market THC Products
A study in a state where marijuana is legal confirms the predominant role of cannabis products from illegal sources.
Bloomberg Drops Out, Demonstrating the Limits of Money and the Perils of Arrogance
The former New York City mayor has never been good at concealing his conviction that he is smarter and better than the rest of us.
Bloomberg Is a Statist, Not a Centrist
If the ex-mayor's fondness for relentless government intervention is "moderate," it's no wonder voters are kicking the tires on more "extreme" major-party candidates.
No, Trump Didn't Cut the CDC's Coronavirus Budget. No, People Aren't Blaming Corona Beer for the Disease.
Coronavirus misinformation is spreading faster than the disease itself.
Virginia Bill Targets Massage Parlor Workers
Lawmakers want to get tougher on touching "with the intent to sexually arouse."
Trump's War on Whisky Is a Dram Shame
Whisky has become collateral damage in a long-running spat between the U.S. and the E.U. over subsidies to airplane manufacturers.
Wisconsin May Allow Bars To Stay Open Late for the Democratic National Convention—Why Not Always?
If cities will accommodate huge numbers of visitors, why not extend the courtesy to locals?
California Bill Would Require Occupational Licenses for Porn Actors, Strippers, Cam Girls
Adult performers are outraged at the proposed licensing requirements, and have vowed to fight the bill.
Marijuana Vaping Madness Is Reaching 'Reefer' Proportions
A new generation of marijuana prohibitionists is reviving old talking points with vaping products substituting for joints.
American Heart Association Journal Finally Retracts Study Implying That E-Cigarettes Cause Heart Attacks Before People Use Them
The journal's editors recognized the problem before publication, but the authors failed to address it.
U.K. 'Celebrates' Its New Freedom From the E.U. by Pushing Massive Online Censorship Orders
Government wants to force social media platforms to accept a “duty of care” to protect users from whatever they deem harmful.
Illinois Bill Would Ban Adults From Pumping Their Own Gas
Rep. Camille Lilly, who authored the bill, says her legislation will lead to more safety, convenience, and jobs.
Only Tulsi Gabbard Wants to Decriminalize Sex Work, but Other Dems Show Signs of Progress on the Issue
"If a consenting adult wants to engage in sex work, that is their right," Gabbard says.
Brexit Means Britain Can No Longer Blame E.U. for Nanny State Nonsense
Brits will have only themselves to blame if they don't embrace food freedom.
8 Months Later, This Journal Still Hasn't Corrected Its Study Implying That E-Cigarettes Magically Cause Heart Attacks Before People Use Them
The Journal of the American Heart Association has responded to critics with nothing but boilerplate promises of scientific integrity.
New York Court Says Daily Fantasy Sports Betting Law Is Unconstitutional
Lawmakers legalized DFS betting. The state’s top justices say that’s not allowed.
What Americans Think About Prostitution Laws
Plus: Buttigieg ekes out a win in Iowa, Mitt Romney blows everyone's minds, and more...
The War on Porn Is Back
Conservatives hope to renew their old alliance with radical feminists.
Massage Parlor Panic
A potent combination of puritanism, racism, and political opportunism is putting Asian masseuses and the people who support them in needless danger.
Lindsey Graham Wants to Use Mistrust of Big Tech To Destroy Your Right to Online Privacy
Online platforms would have to "earn" speech protections by compromising encryption—all in the name of fighting child porn.
What the Porn Industry Thinks of the New War on Porn
GOP attacks on internet smut are heating up, but the porn industry has more practical threats to worry about.
At This Year's Vegas Porn Expo, Everything People Think They Know About the Internet and Adult Entertainment Is Wrong
The internet has turned adult performers into media entrepreneurs.
4 Key Republican Senators To Watch as Trump's Trial Rolls Into the Weekend
Plus: China takes campus free speech issues to a new level, Bloomberg wants to take away your vape, and more...
Chefs in Ireland Are Fighting a Mandatory Menu Calorie Count Law
“I’ll pay whatever fine I have to, but I will never put calories on my menu,” says chef Wade Murphy.
Victims or Criminals? Cops Can't Decide When It Comes to Teens Selling Sex
Plus: trade vote today, woman sues DEA for seizing cash belonging to her dad with dementia, and more...
New CDC Report Highlights the Risks of Black-Market THC Vapes
The vast majority of patients with vaping-related lung injuries who used cannabis products said they got them from "informal sources."
Gaze Upon the Worst Anti-Vaping Poster Ever and Despair
The great state of New Jersey idiotically compares vaping to jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.
How Truth Became a Casualty of the War on Smoking
Different types of nicotine consumption pose different amounts of risk.
Vermont Bill Criminalizing Cell Phone Use for Anyone Under 21 Is a Brilliant Troll
The proposal is parodying, not endorsing, the nanny state.
Super Bowl Sex-Trafficking Myths Return
And they're just as wrong and dangerous this time around.
Trump's Proposed European Tariffs Would Be Terrible for People Who Like Good Wine and American Jobs
A 100 percent tariff on European wines could all but wipe out the industry.
New Evidence From Canada and the U.S. Suggests That Legalizing Marijuana Leads to Less Drinking
While the issue is far from settled, a decline in Canadian beer sales and a drop in binge drinking among college students reinforce the case for a substitution effect.
California Cities and State Regulators Are Coming for Your Gas-Powered Leaf Blower
Some 60 cities have banned or restricted gas-powered landscaping equipment. State air quality regulators are looking to do the same.
Divided Appeals Panel Slaps Federal Judge for Allowing Jury Nullification Defense
Jurors remain free to exercise judgment and mercy in a criminal justice system that often lacks both.
The Broader Meaning of the Trad-Cons' New War on Porn
They probably won't succeed in criminalizing Pornhub, but manifesto-wielding conservatives are trying to reshape the GOP into a movement against individualism.
FDA Announces Ban on Flavored E-Cigarette Cartridges, Exempting E-Liquids Used in Refillable Vapes
For now, the FDA is targeting the vaping products that are most popular with teenagers. But the industry still faces a potentially devastating regulatory deadline.
Pot, Guns, Tampons, Narwhals, Bail, Bags, and More Face New Rules in 2020
Plus: Libertarianism in the 2020s, Trump's flavored vape ban, and more...
FDA Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes Is Expected to Exempt Open-System E-Liquids
In response to intense opposition from vapers and the industry, the Trump administration has recalibrated its plan.
Anti-Vaping Panic Will Kill More People Than it Saves
E-cigarettes are under attack, but they are a safer way to consume nicotine than conventional smoking, says Jacob Sullum.
Oren Levy Finally Has His Hemp Back, but the NYPD Nearly Killed His CBD Business
Oren Levy nearly lost six years of hard work to the NYPD and muddled state law.
