Nanny State
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Sex Trafficking Laws
An interview with sex work researcher Tara Burns.
A D.C. Cocktail Bar Takes on Taboos
"The more you tell people they can't have something, the more they want it."
Home Kitchens Are Under Attack by Regulators
Americans are turning to home-cooked meals, but state regulators are making it harder for small food businesses to survive.
To Get Through the Election, Smoke a Cigarette
This election is all about pursuing short-term political highs while willfully ignoring long-term problems. What could pair better with that than a cigarette?
Watch Now: Classified: The War on Backpage.com
Reason's new documentary is now streaming on the video platform CiVL. I hope you'll watch.
Reason's New Documentary on Backpage.com Is Streaming Exclusively on CiVL
The film ties together years of reporting on a legal saga with broad implications for both free speech and sex work.
Longtime Ban on Home Distilling May Finally End
Why is making spirits for personal use any of the government’s business in the first place?
New USDA Organic Rules Put Wine Importers in a Bind
Government incompetence strikes again, turning the wine industry upside down with red tape and confusion.
To Get Through the Election, Drink Chartreuse
A bitter election calls for a cocktail—and a lesson in the lunacy of price controls.
University Doctor's Financial/Sexual/Mentoring Arrangement with Non-Student Leads to Title IX Claim
Not a student or "bona fide intern[]," no Title IX claim, the judge concludes.
Congress Passes Bill Backing 'Self-Care' for People Pursuing Prostitution Stings
The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act would provide outreach and training to Homeland Security Investigations staff.
Mandatory ID Checks for Nonalcoholic Beer?
Some people really think nonalcoholic beer is a gateway to alcoholism.
A History of Harris Positions on Sex Work
Harris' campaign hasn't said where she stands now. But she's historically taken a tough stance against prostitution and especially against men who pay for it.
Get Your Gross Sex Out of My Sick Politics!
Plus: "Black Nazi,” Oprah interviews Kamala, and yet another looming government shutdown.
Seattle's 'Stay Out' Zones Will Curb Civil Liberties, Not Crime
The city plans to ban people accused of some drug and prostitution crimes from visiting designated areas.
Will Cutting the BAC Limit to .05 Really Make Our Roads Safer?
Utah’s experiment with stricter drunk driving laws has led to more fatalities, not fewer. The push for lower BAC limits is missing the real problem.
'Yeah, I'm a "Perv" Too!'
Plus: Republicans seem likely to blow another winnable race, New York City's COVID czar attended pandemic raves, and more...
Decoding the Sex Trafficking Case Against Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Diddy’s indictment turns the typical sex trafficking charge on its head.
California Legislators Vote To Slap a Giant Warning Label on All Gas Stoves
The wordy label makes no mention of the environmental agenda driving the bill’s passage.
In Massachusetts, Sex Workers Get Charged and Clients Get Set Free
This flies in the face of one popular narrative.
Cherries Are 'Unhealthy,' Says the Same Government That Once Pushed Low-Fat Pop-Tarts
The FDA’s latest nutrition rules target dried cherries and cranberries, putting small farmers at risk while offering zero benefits to consumers.
Drive-Thrus Are Booming. Why Are Cities Banning Them?
Despite increasing demand, cities across the U.S. are pushing bans on new drive-thru restaurants in the name of reducing traffic and promoting walkability.
California Bill Requires All New Cars To Beep When You Speed
Drivers in the state narrowly avoided an even harsher restriction on their automotive freedom.
California To Bend Last-Call Law for Elite Clippers Fans
If you want to drink alcohol in California after 2 a.m., it helps to be the billionaire owner of the L.A. Clippers.
Backpage's Michael Lacey Gets 5-Year Sentence
Plus: New York authorities set seized weed on fire, Pavel Durov charged by French authorities, and more...
Tennessee School Expels 10-Year-Old for Making a Finger Gun
The fifth-grader was punished as part of a law that requires students who make threats of "mass violence" be expelled for at least a year.
'Transparency' Mandate Would Burden Small Brewers and Distilleries
Government pre-approval for every label could crush craft breweries. And do you really want to force the Carthusian monks who make Green Chartreuse to reveal their ingredients?
Democrats Aren't the Freedom Party
Plus: RFK Jr.'s exit, anti-Israel protesters at the DNC, and more...
Feds Seek 20-Year Sentence for Backpage Co-Founder Michael Lacey
It's an insane ask for someone convicted of just one nonviolent offense.
A Day Care Worker Who Says She Was Documenting Diaper Rashes Got 126 Years for Taking 8 Photos
The Maryland Supreme Court deemed the evidence sufficient to convict the defendant on sexual abuse and child pornography charges.
Age Check Laws Are a 'Back Door' to Banning Porn, Project 2025 Architect Says in Hidden Camera Video
"We'd have a national ban on pornography if we could, right?"
At State Legislatures Summit, Groups Lobby for Changes to Sex Work Laws
"The conversations are overwhelmingly productive and positive," says a representative from Decriminalize Sex Work.
The Secret Committee Behind America's Prohibition Comeback
Washington bureaucrats are rewriting the rules on drinking, and a hidden panel of unelected officials could be paving the way for Prohibition 2.0.
Prostitution Surveillance Tower Goes Up in San Diego
Warrantless surveillance, Comic Con "sex trafficking," and the persistence of trafficking myths
Grocery Store Booze Doesn't Hurt Mom-and-Pop Stores
But 11 states still forbid wine from being sold in grocery stores anyway.
The Government Is Choking Off Wineries
It seems anything the government touches dies—today, it’s thousands of acres of once-productive vineyards.
HIV-Positive Sex Workers No Longer Required To Register As Violent Sex Offenders In Tennessee
Selling sex while HIV-positive will still be a felony.
Biden's Big Government Solutions Dismiss Customer Welfare
Sen. Rand Paul writes that repealing the Robinson-Patman Act would help bust inflation.
Utah's Straw Test Crackdown
Bureaucratic overreach is stirring up unnecessary trouble for Utah bartenders.
Want To Catch Serial Killers Faster? Listen to Sex Workers.
The cases of Joey the Player and the Long Island Serial Killer show how systemic neglect and the failure to pass an immunity bill have left violent criminals on the loose for far too long.
Ruling in Favor of DIY Distillers Affirms Limits on Congressional Power
A federal judge rejected the government’s excuses for banning home production of liquor.
Vivek Ramaswamy Debuts 'National Libertarianism' at NatCon 4
"I don’t care to replace a left-wing nanny state with a right-wing nanny state," the onetime presidential hopeful said this week.
Court Holds Federal Ban on Home-Distilling Exceeds Congress' Enumerated Powers
A potentially important post-NFIB enumerated powers challenge.
