E-Cigarette and Liquor Privatization

E-Cigarette

E-Cigarettes have successfully helped smokers quit—but the product is now the target of regulators.

Senior Counsel Hans Bader comments.

“Attorney generals in states like Oregon have also attacked e-cigarettes and sought to ban them from their states. If smokers stopped smoking, states would receive less money under the 1998 tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, which is effectively a revenue-sharing scheme between the largest tobacco companies and the 46 states that entered into that settlement.”

Liquor Privatization

Voters in the state of Washington will soon be able to decide whether they want the state to have less of a role in the sale of liquor.

Policy Analyst Michelle Minton comments.

“For months, advertisements on both the “yes” and the “no” side of the fight have filled the media. Many observers lamented how much money has been spent on the issue. But in Washington State, this isn’t exactly new. For two years running, supporters and detractors of measures to sell off the state-run liquor store and liquor wholesaling business have shoveled millions of dollars into advertisements. This year’s attempt, Initiative 1183 has provoked a flood of cash like never before. Interested parties on both sides have given millions of dollars to sway voters.”