Ashley Judd and Seth Meyers Say They Want to Help Sex Workers. They Could Start by Shutting Up.
Plus: climate change defamation suit can proceed, trade deal inches forward, and more…
Nanny State
More Americans Want Bigger Government—If It's Free
A more active government wins growing approval, but only so long as it doesn’t raise taxes, require tradeoffs, or interfere with private enterprise.
California Regulators Shut Down a Distillery for Serving Alcohol
Confusing regulations put well-run businesses at the mercy of bureaucratic brutes.
Democrats Shift From Demonizing Cannabis to Demonizing Nicotine
The House is simultaneously advancing bills that would legalize marijuana and ban the vast majority of vaping products.
Another Looming Threat to E-Cigarettes
Even if the FDA does not ban flavors, its regulations will soon drive most vaping businesses and products from the market.
Of All the Things To Impeach a President for, They Chose This?
Working through the lows and highs of the House impeachment inquiry on the Reason Roundtable podcast
'We Vape, We Vote' Crowd Got Through to Donald Trump, Advisors Say
Plus: Joe Biden still thinks weed might be a "gateway drug," D.C. sex work decriminalization bill won't get a vote, and more...
Pending Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes in Massachusetts Authorizes Forfeiture of Vapers' Cars
The bill, which the state House passed yesterday, says police may seize vehicles in which they find untaxed vaping products.
Australian Police Willing To Leer At As Many Naked Teen Bodies As It Takes To Stop Drug Overdoses
Sexually scarring children with unnecessary strip searches to prevent them from committing misdemeanors
At D.C. Rally, Activists Want Trump to Know That They Vape and They Vote
A pending ban on flavored nicotine vaping products would destroy most of their industry warn vaping advocates.
Video: NYPD Cops Arrest a Woman For Selling Churros in the Subway
Do you feel safer now?
More Evidence That Black-Market THC Products Are Responsible for Vaping-Related Lung Injuries
The CDC found vitamin E acetate in all 29 samples of lung fluid it analyzed.
Michael Bloomberg's Centrism Combines the Worst Instincts of the Right and Left
In the unlikely event that the former New York mayor wins the Democratic nomination, the 2020 election will pit a billionaire busybody against a billionaire bully.
Kellyanne Conway Says the FDA Has No Jurisdiction Over Vape Shops. The FDA Disagrees.
The distinction the presidential adviser draws between e-cigarettes and other vaping devices contradicts the FDA's understanding of its authority.
Vape Shops May Be Excluded From Ban on Flavored Vaping Products
Plus: Buttigieg just behind Warren in Iowa, sex work in Scotland, anger in Russia, Trump impeachment news, a call for regulatory reform, and more...
As the FDA Prepares to Ban E-Cigarette Flavors, the Government's Own Data Contradict Wild Claims About Adolescent Nicotine Addiction
The ban's supporters falsely claim that "a whole generation of young people" is "addicted to these products."
New Study Casts Further Doubt on Warnings That Vaping Is a Gateway to Smoking
An analysis of survey data finds that pre-existing differences entirely explain the association between e-cigarette use and current smoking among teenagers.
This Chronicle of Sloppy Alcohol Breath Testing Highlights the Hidden Problems With Supposedly Scientific Forensic Evidence
Even when a technology is valid in theory, haphazard methods can lead to wrongful convictions.
CDC Says Vaping-Related Lung Injuries Overwhelmingly Involve Black-Market THC Products, but It's Still Warning People to Avoid E-Cigarettes
In cases where the information was known, just 11 percent of patients said they had vaped only nicotine.
Is Juul Evil Now? Lawsuit Says Company Knowingly Sold Contaminated Pods
Plus: Reno versus strip clubs, the Constitution on polyamory, an Alabama abortion ruling, and more...
Anti-Vaping Propaganda in Schools Undermines Critical Thinking and Spreads Dangerous Misinformation
Students should avoid e-cigarettes because they "have chemicals in them," a lesson warns.
Does the Pending Federal Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes Endanger Trump's Re-Election?
A new poll suggests it does—and campaign officials agree, leading the administration to consider exempting more flavors.
The FBI Rebrands Its Sex Worker Harassment Campaign
Operation Independence Day is just Operation Cross Country by a different name.
The NYPD Officer Fired for Choking Eric Garner Is Suing To Get His Job Back
Pantaleo's lawyer says it’s “arbitrary and capricious” to fire a cop for choking a guy over black market cigarettes.
The Belated Approval of a Harm-Reduction Claim for Smokeless Tobacco Highlights the Potentially Deadly Impact of FDA Censorship
The FDA finally has agreed to allow a mild statement about the relative hazards of snus and cigarettes.
Is Sam Adams' New 28 Percent ABV Beer Legal in Your State?
Remnants of Prohibition-era policies continue to frustrate brewers.
Fast-Food Bans Are a Dumb Idea That Won't Die
Food nannies won't let failure stop them from banning everything they can.
Juul Betrays Its Customers by Pre-Emptively Eliminating Most of Its E-Cigarette Flavors
The company says it will sell only tobacco, mint, and menthol pods unless and until the FDA officially approves other varieties.
'This Is a Culture War': Sex Work Decriminalization Bill in D.C. Draws 14 Hours of Passionate Public Testimony
From morning till past midnight, supporters and opponents of a bill to decriminalize prostitution offered starkly different visions of safety and rights.
Mick Mulvaney Confirms, Then Denies That Trump Withheld Military Aid to Ukraine To Compel the Country to Investigate Democrats
Plus: Oregon's vaping ban is halted, fake rap video money lands a man in jail, and a Syrian ceasefire appears to have already broken down.
Congressional Hearings Conflate Vaping With Smoking, Legal E-Cigarettes With Black-Market THC Products
Democratic legislators ignore the tremendous harm-reducing potential of smoke-free nicotine delivery.
The Vaping Crisis Is a Moral Panic Led by Anti-Smoking Crusaders
Anti-smoking advocacy groups have a long history of exploiting shoddy science for political gain.
Mexico May Slap Silly Warning Labels on 'Unhealthy' Foods
Warning labels on subjectively “unhealthy” food haven’t taken hold in this country. But they’ve swept through Latin America in recent years.
Warren Says She's 'Open to Decriminalizing Sex Work'; Klobuchar Still Says No Way
Plus: Democrats talk LGBTQ equality, California cracks down on mini-shampoo, and more...
Restrictions Make Vaping the Next Lucrative Product Line for Cigarette Smugglers
High taxes and tight restrictions have handed huge chunks of the tobacco market to criminal networks. Why would vaping be any different?
Students Build Virtual Reality Massage Parlor for Cops
You know, to "fight human trafficking."
Muddled Message About Vaping Causes Costly Confusion
Vague lung disease warnings tar harm-reducing e-cigarettes while obscuring the role of black-market cannabis products.
You Will Die if You Vape While Watching Impeachment Porn
Reason editors discuss vaping deaths, the impeachment inquiry, and the resurgent conservative war on porn.
The U.K. Must Ban Pointy Knives, Says Church of England
When the human condition resists perfection through legislation, the answer always seems to be more—and stupider—laws.
Bombay Sapphire Maker Sued Over Stupid Florida Gin-Ingredient Ban
Bad laws can cause problems long after they've been passed and forgotten.
Vaping Panic Ignores How E-Cigarettes Save Lives
H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." The rub against vaping, and other smokeless tobacco products, is that people enjoy it.
New Study Complicates the Causes of Vaping-Related Lung Diseases
Mayo Clinic researchers say tissue samples from 17 patients were consistent with toxic exposure rather than lipoid pneumonia.
The FDA Plans To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes Based on a Nonexistent 'Epidemic' of Adolescent Nicotine Addiction
A new study indicates that heavy vaping remains rare among teenagers who don't smoke.
College Campus Food Policy Restricts Bake Sale Fundraisers
Campus food police are making inroads all over America
