Nanny State
We Don't Need the Federal Government To Save Kids From Video Game 'Loot Boxes'
Senator proposes telling publishers what virtual products they can and cannot sell to children.
New Jersey Politician Wants To Ban All Bags—Paper or Plastic
The Garden State's plan to ban all grocery store bags could have negative consequences for consumer convenience and the environment.
Massage Parlor Surveillance Videos Can't Be Used in Court, Says Florida Judge
Plus: the biggest trouble with Devin Nunes' Twitter lawsuit, the Senate fails to override Trump's Yemen veto, bad news for the gig economy, and more...
Kentucky's Proposed Ban on Tattooing Over Scars Would Hurt Those Seeking Second Chances
The Public Health Department wants to ban a common tattooing process. Artists say that the concern is unscientific and harmful to clients.
Mother Arrested for Letting Child Take Lyft to School
A New Orleans rapper is charged with child desertion after letting her five-year-old son take a Lyft by himself to school.
London's Absurdly Broad 'Junk Food' Ad Ban Puts Its Own Culture on a Starvation Diet
Iconic British foods like Christmas pudding and strawberries and cream get censored.
The Feds Are Dropping Child Porn Cases Instead of Revealing Info on Their Surveillance Systems
Human Rights Watch and other groups say these systems draw serious concerns.
Nabbing Robert Kraft Helped Florida Prosecutors Get Headlines. Now Kraft and Other Orchids of Asia Customers Are Fighting Back
They're joined by an arrested spa owner and manager in fighting the release of surveillance video, with an array of big media companies on the other side.
Harris Clarifies That She Does Not Support Prostitution Decriminalization, Would Use Executive Power To Toughen Gun Laws
Plus: Ohio moves to ban kids in drag shows while Washington wants to keep kids in car seats through middle school.
CBD Is Still Banned in States With Legal Weed
California Public Health officials confiscated $140,000 worth of cannabidiol-infused beverages from an LA warehouse.
Ontario's Glacial Booze Reforms Aren't Enough
It's hard to undo decades of bad policy with a single bill
Foggy Sex Trafficking Stats Pop Up in the Bay Area
Did San Francisco really see a 170 percent "spike in human trafficking" last year?
What To Do If You're Way Too Stoned and Freaking Out
As 4/20 approaches, we share tips for dealing with a bad high (and avoiding one).
Senate Bill Would Ban Smoking and Vaping for Americans Under Age 21
Plus: Six-week abortion bans are proliferating, extremism as excuse for censorhip, Soylent made a snack bar
I Gave My Dog CBD Oil To Calm Him Down and Help His Separation Anxiety
Spoiler alert: He's still a rowdy boy.
Would You Eat a CBD Burger? Carl's Jr. Wants to Find Out.
The burger chain plans to flout FDA regulations with special 4/20 offering
Defenders of Bans on Cashless Businesses Say They're Defending Choice. They're Not.
Prohibiting businesses from going cardless ignores the choices of consumers and businesses alike.
The Percentage of Americans Who Understand That Vaping Is Less Dangerous Than Smoking Continues to Fall
Years of mealy-mouthed, misleading, and mendacious statements by activists, government officials, and journalists have taken a toll on the truth.
Despite Congressional Approval, Selling Hemp and CBD Remains Legally Perilous
States do not necessarily distinguish between hemp and marijuana, and the FDA looks askance at medical claims.
Incoming FDA Commissioner Sharpless Shouldn't Stop Snus, the Safer Swedish Smoking Alternative
Even as the FDA continues to crack-down on vaping, it appears ready to allow snus to be sold as what it is: a safer alternative to smoking.
What Brothels Can Teach All of Us About Risk
Allison Schrager's An Economist Walks Into a Brothel demystifies sex work, big-wave surfing, horse-breeding, and other high-risk professions.
An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: What Prostitutes and Big-Wave Surfers Can Teach Us About Risk
Allison Schrager wants to change the way you take chances.
Utah's New Beer Law Isn't Lifting Many Spirits
The good news? Utah is lifting its alcohol cap! The bad news? The new cap is still quite low.
FOSTA's First Test Targets Cloud Company Used by Backpage
Plus: a Robert Kraft/spa-sting update, Florida sex-buyer registry nixed, D.C. activist alleges entrapment, and more sex-work and sex-policy news.
Doctor Convicted of Child Abuse Still Getting $100,000 Annual Taxpayer-Funded Pension
The laws governing public pensions allow for horrible people to collect government benefits.
Legal Sports Betting Makes March Madness Better Than Ever
Bringing sports betting out of the black market is a win for fans and sports leagues, and it's another indication of how prohibitionist policies fail.
CVS Pharmacy, America's Largest Drug Store Chain, Will Carry CBD Products
The rapid social and commercial acceptance of marijuana and marijuana-related products continues. Government still lags behind.
Bad State Laws and Big Money Beer Wholesalers Are Still Hurting Craft Brewers
The craft beer industry can only go as far as lawmakers will allow.
NYC Bill Would Outlaw Unfair Terminations in the Fast Food Industry
The proposal comes as restaurants struggle with the city's new $15 minimum wage.
Proposed FDA Policy Will Make It Harder for Vapers to Get the Flavors They Prefer
The upshot could be more smoking-related disease and death.
Trump Wants to Tax Your Juul
The White House's budget proposal would subject E-cigarettes and vaping products to a new "user fee," but it's really just a tax.
Feds Say Ohio Vice Cop Andrew Mitchell Abducted Women and Forced Them Into Sex
Authorities wouldn't say whether the charges related to Donna Dalton, who was shot to death by Mitchell last August.
FDA Chief and Vaping Opponent Scott Gottlieb Is Leaving the Food and Drug Administration
When and wherever public health conflicted with personal freedom, Gottlieb advocated for the former.
Sneak-and-Peek Warrant for Hidden Cameras at Florida Massage Parlors Faces Scrutiny
We were told this sort of spying would only be used to stop terrorists. And yet...
New Study Finds Almost Half of Juul Starter Kit Buyers Quit Within 3 Months
Those who continued to smoke cut their cigarette consumption in half.
For Nanny-Statism, California's Supreme Court Might Be Worse Than the State Legislature
Unlike lawmakers, who are usually are fairly forthright about their goals and intent, the justices have left Californians befuddled with several recent rulings.
Homeland Security and Florida Cops Spied on Chinese Massage Workers for Months but Still Couldn't Find Evidence of Human Trafficking
Nine women face felony prostitution charges and hundreds of their customers have been arrested. Florida says it's the real victim.
Kamala Harris Won't Denounce Federal Law That Harms Sex Workers, but May Support Decriminalizing Prostitution
"I think that we have to understand though that it is not as simple as that."
'No Allegations of Human Trafficking' and 'Women Could've Walked Out' In Florida Massage-Parlor Prostitution Stings
Authorities are walking back big claims about an international human-trafficking ring involving Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
A Switch to Vaping Reduces 8 Biomarkers of Smoking As Much As Abstinence
A randomized clinical study adds to the evidence that e-cigarettes are far less hazardous than the conventional kind.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft's Bust Is Being Billed as a Human Trafficking Bust, but It Looks More Like Ordinary Prostitution
It's also part of a larger national attack on massage parlors and sex workers.
