Nanny State
As Plastic Straw Bans Gain Momentum, Will Balloons be Next?
No minor joy or modern convenience is safe.
Surprise! The Ban on Digital Sex Ads Didn't Work
Plus: digital privacy concerns down 11 percent since 2015
Nevada Assembly Candidate Dennis Hof Loses Brothel License
Love Ranch, a brothel owned by Nevada Assembly candidate Dennis Hof, loses their brothel license.
Massachusetts Mayor Claims Sam Adams Is Profiting Off Trump's 'White Nationalist Agenda'
Taking a tax break now amounts to taking a side.
Santa Barbara's Controversial Straw Ban Kicked Back to Committee
The new ordinance is being amended to include plastic stirrers
Intellectual Property, Big Data, and Streaming: Porn and Beyond
Profs. Kal Raustiala & Chris Sprigman will be guest-blogging about this week, based on their new law review article.
Are Plastic Straw Bans Just Late Socialism?: Podcast
The Reason Podcast crew takes on Trump's lawyers, trade wars, plastic straw bans, and the rise of socialism.
'Bigfoot Erotica' Stimulates Intense Congressional Debate
Democrat Leslie Cockburn says she's "exposed" her Republican opponent as a "devotee of Bigfoot erotica."
Hilarious Straw Ban Memes Hit on the Dark Truth That All Laws Require Force
Straw banners will soon have to answer for all the people fined, arrested, or even jailed for violating their petty prohibitions.
Jinx the Anarchist Sex Worker Goes to Washington
Representatives of the oldest profession were on Capitol Hill fighting FOSTA and SESTA, with our online freedoms hanging in the balance.
Hemp Beer Is Dank, Delicious, and Coming Soon to a Bar Near You
...if regulators don't get in the way first.
A Summer-of-Snitches Subversion: City Helps Teen Rather Than Shut Down Unlicensed Hot Dog Stand
When he grows up and gets that food truck, though, he'll probably have a very different experience.
Tech Workers Don't Eat at Enough Local Restaurants? Better Ban Workplace Cafeterias!
A bill in San Francisco would prohibit new office spaces from having cafeterias on site.
Oops! San Francisco Bubble Tea Company Throws Support Behind Straw Ban Without Realizing It Also Bans All Feasible Replacement Straws
Reading the fine print is important.
More and More of What We Do Depends on Government Permission
The granting or withholding of that approval is a powerful lever over our lives.
Santa Barbara Bans Plastic Straws, Authorizes $1,000 Fines and Jail Time for Violators
The California city has passed what is likely the most severe straw ban in the country.
Milwaukee Launches Lawsuit, Threatens Fines Over Dockless E-Scooters
Residents continue riding the scooters in a stirring display of civil disobedience.
Stormy Daniels Was Arrested Because of a Terrible Law That Threatens Free Expression
When you give law enforcement a tool that can be used to target someone who has unpopular views, they will use it.
Starbucks Bans Plastic Straws, Winds Up Using More Plastic
A Reason investigation reveals that the coffee giant's new cold drink lids use more plastic than the old straw/lid combo.
Stormy Daniels Strips for Me and a Roomful of Journalists
...and reminds everyone that sometimes a strip show is just a strip show.
D.C. Wants to Ban No-Cash Businesses and Cash Discounts
A new bill would make it illegal for city businesses to refuse cash payments.
Sex Workers Meet in Los Angeles To Draft Statement of Principles
A new manifesto calls for sex-worker rights.
Man Faces 30 Years in Prison on Child Porn Charges for Taking Sexy Photos of 17-Year-Old Girlfriend When He was 20
Since Ohio's age of consent is 16, it was legal for Edward Marrero to have sex but not to sext.
Al Qaeda-Linked Somali Terrorist Group Bans Plastic Bags
Al-Shabab has declared plastic bags a "a serious threat to the well-being of humans and animals alike."
Libertarian Party Adopts New Sex Work Plank, Becomes Only Notable U.S. Party to Endorse Prostitution Decriminalization
The LP's move comes the same week the Green Party explicitly rejected a platform that protects sex worker rights.
Seattle's First-in-the-Nation Straw Ban Goes Into Effect. More Will Follow.
The latest environmental craze claims another victory.
All Over the World, People Love Bootleg Moonshine and Hate Taxes
If you don't want a black market in booze to develop, keep the tax man on a leash and regulators in check.
Jack Daniel's Says It Will Raise Whiskey Prices in Europe Due to E.U. Tariffs
The E.U. retaliated against Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. Now, whiskey drinkers will pay the price.
The State of Food Freedom Around the Globe
Authoritarian cruelty in Hungary, civil disobedience in Ukraine, and booze reform in Canada
What Cause Could Possibly Be Awful Enough to Unite Portland, Calvin Harris, and McDonald's?
Another crop of celebrities, cities, and corporations declare war on single-use plastic straws.
Why Does the Press Routinely Misidentify Prostitution as 'Sex Trafficking'?: Podcast
Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown on libertarian feminism, how to encrypt your email, and more
Mix Yourself a Cocktail Before Enjoying this Prohibition Documentary
Smithsonian Channel tells two-part story of the history of America's doomed booze crackdown.
Don't Blame the Minimum Wage for Those Self-Service Kiosks at McDonald's
Government-mandated price hikes do a lot of things. Spurring technological innovation is not one of them.
Colorado's Governor, Who Founded a Brewpub, Nixes Cannabis 'Tasting Rooms'
John Hickenlooper claims letting pot store customers sample the merchandise conflicts with a ballot initiative that promised to regulate marijuana like alcohol.
D.C. Candidates Battle Over Decriminalizing Sex Work
With the D.C. primary approaching, candidates are quizzed on a bill that would decriminalize prostitution in the district.
John McAfee and Porn Star Cherie* DeVille Running for President in 2020, Maybe as Libertarians
The antivirus-software pioneer is flying the crypto flag, while the adult actress is running on weed, Net Neutrality, and #MeToo.
Woman's Jersey Beach Beatdown by Police Goes Viral
How did an accusation of underage drinking end up with a 20-year-old eating sand?
When You're Done Reading This Issue of Reason, You Might Want to Burn It
We offer how-tos, personal stories, and guides for all kinds of activities that can and do happen right at the borders of legally permissible behavior.
What to Know Before You Pay for Sex
Tips, tricks, and common sense to make hiring an escort a breeze
Eighteen Is Old Enough for War But Not Sexting, Say Ohio Lawmakers
The House Criminal Justice Committee just voted unanimously in favor of a bill to ban sexting by anyone under age 19.
Protectionism vs. Cheap Beer
If you tax something, you get less of it, and Trump's tariffs are a tax on making things-including cans, kegs, and the beer that goes into them.
How We Became a 'Nation of Narcs' and How To Fix It: Podcast
Reason's Mike Riggs discusses how class anxiety, busybodyism, and a lack of empathy are making America a less-great country.
New Cancer Report Tries To Scare You Out of Eating Sausage and Bacon
Nevertheless, U.S. cancer rates are stable for women and declining for men.
