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.
Nanny State
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
CDC Confirms That the Vast Majority of Vaping-Related Lung Disease Cases Involve THC Products
The latest findings highlight the irrationality of banning legal e-cigarettes that deliver nicotine.
Here Is Why the Massachusetts Ban on Vaping Products Is Bad for Public Health
Citing respiratory diseases associated with black-market THC products, the state is banning legal e-cigarettes that are far less hazardous than the conventional kind.
Why Is the CDC Still Fostering Potentially Deadly Confusion About Vaping and Lung Disease?
Contrary to the evidence, public health officials and journalists continue to link the recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses with legal e-cigarettes.
Judge Poised to Reject Suit by 90 'Jane Does' Who Say Salesforce Is Responsible for Sex Trafficking
The cases hinges on two laws—FOSTA and Section 230—that have been hotly contested in recent years.
Witness Says Vaping Helped Her Quit Smoking. Rashida Tlaib Asks 'Are You a Conspiracy Theorist?'
"Vaping is a health miracle to me," said ex-smoker Vicki Porter. "Not safe, but less harmful."
Co-Author of San Francisco's E-Cigarette Ban Wants the FDA to Silence His Opponents
Supervisor Shamann Walton thinks he can use restrictions on commercial speech to suppress political speech.
Survey Suggests Lung Disease Misinformation Has Compounded Confusion About the Hazards of E-Cigarettes
If that confusion drives vapers back to smoking or discourages others from making the switch, it will have deadly consequences.
Compelling Testimony Against Michigan's Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes Highlights the Deadly Folly of the Vaping Crackdown
The real "public health crisis" is not underage vaping but the one that Michigan, New York, and the FDA are about to create.
The Alarming Epidemic of Misguided Meddling With E-Cigarettes
Banning the flavors that former smokers overwhelmingly prefer is a strange way to protect public health.
E-Cigarette Restrictions Raise a Question: Can Governors Unilaterally Ban Products They Don't Like?
Pending restrictions on vaping products in Michigan and New York are based on an alarmingly broad understanding of the executive branch's "public health" authority.
Banning Flavored E-Cigarettes Has Nothing to Do With the Hazards of Black-Market Cannabis Products
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other prohibitionists continue to conflate the two issues.
