Nanny State
The FDA Proposes a De Facto Cigarette Ban, Which Would Expand the Disastrous War on Drugs
Mandating negligible nicotine levels in tobacco products would create a big black market and criminalize currently legal transactions.
A Scary Government Report Implies That Moderate Drinking Is Manifestly Reckless
The focus on the health risks of alcohol consumption gives short shrift to the reasons people like to drink.
The Future of Online Porn Is At Stake Today
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a Texas case that could have major ramifications across the country—including, perhaps, the end of anonymity online.
Be Skeptical of 'Beneficially Coercive' New Rules for Booze
A New York Times essay helps illustrate why the surgeon general's new report on alcohol and cancer leaves out crucial context and nuance.
Massachusetts Court Weighs Whether All Prostitution Is Sex Trafficking
Five "traffickers" arrested for responding to an undercover cop's sex ad are challenging their convictions in the state's high court.
Another Study on Flavored Vaping Products the FDA Can Ignore
Evidence continues to accumulate that non-tobacco-flavored vaping products can help reduce or discourage smoking.
Texas Cop Chases Prostitution Suspect, Causes Car Accident, Gets Immunity
Houston police "initiated a high-speed chase to pursue a suspect evading arrest for paying $40 to solicit sexual activity from another adult," notes a Texas Supreme Court judge.
Why We Are Still Arguing About the Health Effects of Moderate Drinking
The evidence is vast but open to interpretation because observational studies are inherently ambiguous.
Surgeon General Gins Up a Questionable Drinking Causes Cancer Scare
Stealth alcohol prohibition in the guise of an anti-cancer campaign.
Stop Overprotecting the Children, Say Courts in Tennessee and California
Courts block laws regulating algorithms and online porn.
Restaurant Reservation Markets Are Good. Outlawing Them Is Not.
Reselling restaurant reservations helps allocate seats to those who most want them.
Moderate Drinking Linked to Lower Overall Mortality Rate, Says National Academy of Sciences
So let's all enjoy a moderate toast to a Happy New Year!
Could the FDA's Approach to Vaping Cause an Increase in Smoking?
A growing body of evidence suggests bans on flavored vaping products will result in more young people smoking, but the FDA does not seem to care.
Review: Illustrating Britain's Victorian Booze Restrictions
Temperance activists argued that "the people" should have a say in how many alcohol sellers could serve a given neighborhood.
Shooting the Messenger and Blaming the Victim
How cops, politicians, and bureaucrats tried to dodge responsibility in 2024
Even Without the Sex and Drug Allegations, Matt Gaetz's Nomination Should Have Been Doomed
The House Ethics Committee's findings, combined with Gaetz's lack of relevant experience, again raise the question of why Donald Trump picked him for attorney general.
Joe Biden Tried To Use the Regulatory State To Micromanage Everything
The Biden administration's war on "junk fees" is emblematic of its nanny state instincts.
The SAFE SEX Workers Study Act, a Bill Aimed at Ultimately Repealing FOSTA, Is Back
The bill is meant as a first step toward repealing FOSTA, the 2018 law that amended Section 230 and criminalized hosting adult ads.
7 Ways To Mark the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers
December 17 is a day for mourning sex workers lost to violence and for drawing attention to conditions—like criminalization—that put sex workers at risk.
AOC's Justifications of Violence
Plus: City-owned grocery stores, commentary on the OnlyFans sex stunt, and more...
Missouri Narrowly Approves Sports Betting Measure
More than a month after Election Day, the race has been called in favor of Amendment 2.
Cigarette Taxes and Regulations Continue To Fuel a Thriving Black Market
Burdensome taxes and red tape produce the same results as outright prohibitions.
Donate to Reason To Keep the New Prohibitionists at Bay
Give us your money to keep the government out of your cocktails, your cherries, your raw milk, your psychedelics, and other forms of fun.
A Change in Administrations Underlines the Stakes of an E-Cigarette Case SCOTUS Heard This Week
An e-liquid manufacturer is challenging the FDA's "arbitrary and capricious" rejection of flavored vaping products.
North Carolina Goes Drug War on Prostitution
Plus: Idaho's "abortion trafficking" law can mostly take effect; updates on state age verification suits; the threat the Florida and Texas social media laws pose to X
Food and Drug Administration Defends Refusal To Approve Flavored E-Cigarettes Before the Supreme Court
The FDA’s regulations are burdensome and unnecessary to address the inflated high school vaping epidemic.
Belgian Sex Workers Gain Access to Paid Leave, Right To Refuse Sex Acts
Belgian sex work groups are cheering the new law. But it could come with some downsides.
Republican Populism Aims To Expand the Nanny State
The policies pushed by some MAGA Republicans sound a lot like the ideas of socialist Democrats.
The 2024 Gift Guide for Freedom Lovers
From art to vice to games and maybe a little magic, Reason's staff is here to help you with your gift giving.
Kentucky Seizes People's Booze, Auctions It Off To Fund Anti-Booze Group
Selling vintage spirits is better than pouring them down the drain, but the state shouldn't use the proceeds to fund a private corporation.
Hanover Police Selectively Enforce Underage Drinking Laws Against Dartmouth Students
Criminal prosecution is an inappropriate response to tragedy.
Backpage Founder Michael Lacey Released on Bail
Lacey can await the resolution of his appeal outside of prison.
Is America Finally Having Its Raw Milk Moment?
Trump’s RFK Jr. nomination and another rumored cabinet ally may give raw milk legalization its biggest boost yet.
Beer Lobby Wants Restrictions and Higher Taxes on Intoxicating Hemp Products
The proposal brings to mind the classic "bootleggers and Baptists" theory in which both moralists and competitors oppose a substance.
Canada Considers Constitutionality of Sex Work Laws
A Canadian Supreme Court case challenges the country's ban on benefiting financially from sex work.
We Are Going To Learn More About Matt Gaetz's Sex Life Than We Wanted
Trump's pick for attorney general is manifestly unqualified for the job, even without considering the salacious details of the ethics charges against him.
Social Security Approaches Its Day of Reckoning
Americans should plan for their futures rather than relying on a nonexistent Social Security “trust fund.”
Chicago Mayor Johnson's Budget Betrayal Would Raise Taxes on Small Businesses
A proposed alcohol tax hike will hit immigrant-owned liquor stores while city spending on nonessential projects remains high.
Abolish the Federal Alcohol Tax and Regulation System
The states already overregulate alcohol. There's no need for a federal layer of red tape.
Texas Cops Fired for 'Inappropriate' Sexual Contact With Massage Workers
As a result of the internal affairs investigation, three Lewisville officers were fired, one was demoted, and seven were suspended without pay.
Australian Prime Minister Proposes Total Social Media Ban for Anyone Under 16
Under this restrictive measure, there will be no exceptions, even for parental consent.
