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FDA’s Juul Ban Part of Deadly War on Nicotine

Blog

FDA’s Juul Ban Part of Deadly War on Nicotine

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/23/2022

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it denied the application of Juul Labs, maker of the Juul e-cigarette, to market its…

Consumer Freedom

Banning Menthol Cigarettes Will Do Nothing to Promote Racial Justice

Blog

Banning Menthol Cigarettes Will Do Nothing to Promote Racial Justice

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/26/2022

Public support for the War on Drugs has never been lower, due in no small part to increased awareness about the devastation drug criminalization…

Consumer Freedom

CEI Joins Coalition Urging FDA Not to Ban Synthetic Nicotine

Blog

CEI Joins Coalition Urging FDA Not to Ban Synthetic Nicotine

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/05/2022

This week CEI joined a coalition of groups urging Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf not to prohibit synthetic nicotine (read the…

Consumer Freedom

FDA’s Dysfunctional Regulation of E-cigs Created the Synthetic Nicotine Problem

Blog

FDA’s Dysfunctional Regulation of E-cigs Created the Synthetic Nicotine Problem

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/21/2022

Winston Churchill once said that “If you destroy a free market you create a black market” and nowhere is the validity of that statement…

Consumer Freedom

Treasury Department Report Endorses Deregulation to Boost the Booze Business

Blog

Treasury Department Report Endorses Deregulation to Boost the Booze Business

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 02/14/2022

It isn’t often that a Democratic administration endorses deregulation, but that is exactly what the Treasury Department does in a new report on promoting…

Food and Beverage Regulation

Indiana Beverage Bill Helps [Some] Businesses by Harming Consumers

Blog

Indiana Beverage Bill Helps [Some] Businesses by Harming Consumers

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/31/2022

Businesses are still reeling from the combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain problems. Luckily, legislatures across the country have recognized that the…

Bah Humbug. The States that Ban Booze on Christmas, New Year’s, and other Winter Holidays

Blog

Bah Humbug. The States that Ban Booze on Christmas, New Year’s, and other Winter Holidays

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 12/14/2021

The holidays bring parties, feasts, and visits with friends and family, many of whom haven’t seen each other in person since the start of the…

Consumer Freedom

GOP Cannabis Legalization Bill Could Finally Surmount Partisan Divide

Blog

GOP Cannabis Legalization Bill Could Finally Surmount Partisan Divide

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 11/22/2021

Even with the majority of Americans having supported cannabis legalization for nearly a decade, proposals to decriminalize the substance at the federal level have…

Consumer Freedom

The Youth Vaping “Epidemic” Has Ended; So Should Extreme Youth-Centric Anti-Vaping Measures

Blog

The Youth Vaping “Epidemic” Has Ended; So Should Extreme Youth-Centric Anti-Vaping Measures

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/28/2021

People will tolerate just about any imposition if they believe it will protect children from harm. Hence, appeals to “think of the children” are…

Health and Safety

Tobacco Tax Equity Act Perpetuates Economic and Health Disparities

Blog

Tobacco Tax Equity Act Perpetuates Economic and Health Disparities

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/28/2021

Mainstream interest in the issue of structural racism is long overdue. Yet nascent efforts to root out vestiges of racism in the U.S. political system…

Innovation

Regulatory Flexibility: Good for the Booze Business and Consumers

Blog

Regulatory Flexibility: Good for the Booze Business and Consumers

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/16/2021

The coronavirus pandemic has taught us a few things, including the economic fragility of many industries. The restaurant industry, with its reliance on in-person dining,…

Food and Beverage Regulation

FDA Shows Its Bias against E-cigarettes as Deadline Approaches

Blog

FDA Shows Its Bias against E-cigarettes as Deadline Approaches

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/08/2021

After years facing the constant threat of extinction, it seemed the vapor industry would finally be vindicated. The evidence on e-cigarettes regarding their safety and effectiveness…

Health and Safety

For CDC to Repair Its Reputation, It Must Get Out of Housing (and Politics)

Blog

For CDC to Repair Its Reputation, It Must Get Out of Housing (and Politics)

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/05/2021

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was once considered one of the most trusted public health institutions in the world, but its handling…

Healthcare

Tobacco Control’s Latest Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Blog

Tobacco Control’s Latest Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 07/29/2021

If you want to make something irresistible to teenagers, portray it as a forbidden fruit. That is what has happened in the U.S. with e-cigarettes.

Health and Safety

Exposed: Bloomberg’s Anti-Tobacco Meddling in Developing Countries

Blog

Exposed: Bloomberg’s Anti-Tobacco Meddling in Developing Countries

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/15/2021

Back in February I wrote a piece for Inside Sources titled “Bloomberg’s Philanthro-Colonialism: A Threat to Global Health and Science,” criticizing the behavior of…

Health and Safety

It’s up to Drug Reformers to Stop the War on Nicotine

Blog

It’s up to Drug Reformers to Stop the War on Nicotine

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/14/2021

In recent years, a growing number of Americans have been waking up to the failure of the War on Drugs. Officially initiated by President…

Health and Safety

A Menthol Cigarette Ban Would Perpetuate the Racist War on Drugs

Blog

A Menthol Cigarette Ban Would Perpetuate the Racist War on Drugs

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/27/2021

In April the White House announced an apparently historic shift in the U.S. War on Drugs—away from strict prohibition to an approach emphasizing harm…

Consumer Freedom

Can Biden End the Current War on Drugs without Starting a New One?

Blog

Can Biden End the Current War on Drugs without Starting a New One?

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/13/2021

This president is not your Grandad’s Joe Biden. At least, that seems to be the message of a new White House plan on the…

Consumer Freedom

Biden Should Choose Science over Politics and Embrace Tobacco Harm Reduction

Blog

Biden Should Choose Science over Politics and Embrace Tobacco Harm Reduction

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 02/22/2021

Will the new Biden administration choose science over politics? The commandment to “believe science” has become a rallying cry, one echoed by Joe Biden…

Health and Safety

The Growing Groupthink Problem in Science and Policy

Blog

The Growing Groupthink Problem in Science and Policy

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/20/2021

Government Dietary Guidelines issued jointly by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years are meant to provide health…

Health and Safety

Vape Mail Ban Will Hurt Vulnerable Adults and Won’t Prevent Online Sales to Youth

Blog

Vape Mail Ban Will Hurt Vulnerable Adults and Won’t Prevent Online Sales to Youth

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/08/2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted a brutal toll on businesses. But one industry that is not only surviving but thriving is the cigarette industry.

Consumer Freedom

Documentary Exposes Global Nicotine Misinformation Campaign

Blog

Documentary Exposes Global Nicotine Misinformation Campaign

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 12/15/2020

What if, instead of a deadly “addictive” chemical, nicotine was a revolutionary therapy able to treat several debilitating conditions and, potentially, save billions of lives?…

Health and Safety

Americans have Grown more Centrist, So Should the Parties

Blog

Americans have Grown more Centrist, So Should the Parties

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 11/19/2020

This last election was not normal. Record voter turnout, different voting procedures, and polarizing candidates makes comparing this cycle to any other difficult. But looking…

Consumer Freedom

Democrats More at Risk for Anti-E-Cigarette Stance

Blog

Democrats More at Risk for Anti-E-Cigarette Stance

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/30/2020

Millions of adult vapers across the country could determine the outcome of the election in battleground states. According to Gallup, about 8 percent of…

Consumer Freedom

How Could We Have Known: Prohibiting E-cigarettes Leads to Smuggling and Smoking

Blog

How Could We Have Known: Prohibiting E-cigarettes Leads to Smuggling and Smoking

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/21/2020

Anyone with a passing knowledge of American history is aware of the failures of prohibition. Both the now-repealed ban on alcohol and the ongoing “war…

Consumer Freedom

How Could We Have Known: Prohibiting E-cigarettes Leads to Smuggling and Smoking

Blog

How Could We Have Known: Prohibiting E-cigarettes Leads to Smuggling and Smoking

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/21/2020

Anyone with a passing knowledge of American history is aware of the failures of prohibition. Both the now-repealed ban on alcohol and the ongoing “war…

Consumer Freedom

New Junk Food Ordinance: Another “Feel Good” California Law that Does No Good

Blog

New Junk Food Ordinance: Another “Feel Good” California Law that Does No Good

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/29/2020

California is a tough place to live. Ranked as the state with the nation’s worst quality of life, Californians have the biggest debt-to-income ratio, suffer…

Consumer Freedom

FDA Rules on E-cigarette Makers Go into Effect Today, to the Detriment of Public Health

Blog

FDA Rules on E-cigarette Makers Go into Effect Today, to the Detriment of Public Health

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/09/2020

The world was simpler in 2009 when Congress enacted a law that gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to regulate tobacco. Back…

Consumer Freedom

Anti-Nicotine Zealots Only Care about Science When it Says What They Want

Blog

Anti-Nicotine Zealots Only Care about Science When it Says What They Want

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/27/2020

Opponents of nicotine vapor products like to claim the scientific high ground. For years, they have asserted there isn’t enough evidence on the long-term risks…

Consumer Freedom

How the U.S. Spreads Fake Vaping Fears, Part II

Blog

How the U.S. Spreads Fake Vaping Fears, Part II

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/13/2020

In a previous post, CEI's Michelle Minton described how, through the use of statistical hocus pocus, anti-vaping interest have exported vape panic around the world.

Consumer Freedom

How the U.S. Spreads Fake Vaping Fears

Blog

How the U.S. Spreads Fake Vaping Fears

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 07/21/2020

The international health profession is rightly focused on the SARS-CoV-2 virus threat at the moment. Meanwhile, another multinational threat has insidiously spread: Alarmism about nicotine…

Consumer Freedom

Perverse Psychology: How Anti-Vaping Campaigns Backfired

Blog

Perverse Psychology: How Anti-Vaping Campaigns Backfired

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/17/2020

We have spent years and countless billions trying to deal with the supposed epidemic of youth vaping. It has only gotten worse. A new CEI…

Consumer Freedom

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Anti-Drug Warriors’ Crocodile Tears

Blog

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Anti-Drug Warriors’ Crocodile Tears

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/08/2020

There is a lot to say about the heinous killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and no shortage of opinions being offered. Many have…

Consumer Freedom

Cocktails in Quarantine: How your State Governs Booze Buying during Lockdown

Blog

Cocktails in Quarantine: How your State Governs Booze Buying during Lockdown

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/15/2020

With all the other added stress created by the outbreak of COVID-19, most states have chosen to relax alcohol laws in a pragmatic bid to…

Consumer Freedom

FDA Four-Month Delay Not Enough to Save E-Cigarette Industry

Blog

FDA Four-Month Delay Not Enough to Save E-Cigarette Industry

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/03/2020

To fight the coronavirus, many states have pressed pause on certain rules and regulations. Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed an order lifting the state ban…

Consumer Freedom

Liberty in the Time of Coronavirus Part 2

Blog

Liberty in the Time of Coronavirus Part 2

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/16/2020

Much of the money dedicated to medical research and services comes from the federal government. While some may see this is a good way to…

Health and Safety

Liberty in the Time of Coronavirus Part 1

Blog

Liberty in the Time of Coronavirus Part 1

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/16/2020

A recent headline at The Atlantic declared, “There are No Libertarians in an Epidemic.” But, just as there are atheists in foxholes, there are libertarians…

Consumer Well-Being

Dangerously Inaccurate Reporting on Vaping-Linked Outbreak Persists

Blog

Dangerously Inaccurate Reporting on Vaping-Linked Outbreak Persists

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/27/2020

Coverage of the outbreak of illness linked to “vaping” has been handled poorly in general, but the New York Post's recent reporting is especially egregious.

Consumer Freedom

CDC Confirms Black Markets, not “Vaping,” Caused Outbreak

Blog

CDC Confirms Black Markets, not “Vaping,” Caused Outbreak

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/16/2020

A new CDC report puts the final nail in the coffin of the idea that the spat of lung injuries that occurred beginning last summer…

Consumer Freedom

Mitt Romney Made Millions off Cigarettes, Now He Wants to Kill its Competition

Blog

Mitt Romney Made Millions off Cigarettes, Now He Wants to Kill its Competition

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/02/2020

Though they (probably) aren’t car surfing or eating Tide pods,  lawmakers and government bureaucrats are as susceptible to passing fads as bored teenagers. For government…

Consumer Freedom

Blame Anti-Tobacco Advocates for Youth Vaping “Epidemic”

Blog

Blame Anti-Tobacco Advocates for Youth Vaping “Epidemic”

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 12/20/2019

Like most teenage crazes, youth interest in e-cigarettes once seemed a passing fad. In the early years youth vaping skyrocketed, but by 2016 began to…

Consumer Freedom

Tobacco 21: Feel-Good Policy Could Backfire

Blog

Tobacco 21: Feel-Good Policy Could Backfire

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 11/06/2019

Amid an outbreak of “vaping-linked” lung illnesses, a campaign of fear against vaping has reached a frenzied peak. For years, the Food and Drug Administration…

Consumer Freedom

Killing Us with Kindness: Democrats’ War on Vaping Costs Lives

Blog

Killing Us with Kindness: Democrats’ War on Vaping Costs Lives

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/15/2019

Liberals are supposed to the ones whose hearts “bleed” with concern for others’ welfare. That’s why modern liberals generally reject an abstinence-only approach to regulation.

Chemical Risk

UPDATE: Big Picture in ‘Vaping-Linked’ Lung Poisonings

Blog

UPDATE: Big Picture in ‘Vaping-Linked’ Lung Poisonings

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/16/2019

Over the last three months, the news has been filled with stories of people falling ill from a mystery lung ailment supposedly caused by vaping.

Health and Safety

Lung Disease Outbreak Caused by Black Market, not Vaping

Blog

Lung Disease Outbreak Caused by Black Market, not Vaping

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/27/2019

News media around the world have picked up on the story of “vaping-linked” hospitalizations. Most have omitted the fact that black market marijuana e-liquid has…

Consumer Well-Being

Heretics in the Church of Tobacco Control

Blog

Heretics in the Church of Tobacco Control

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/23/2019

​​​​​​​H.P. Lovecraft opined in 1931 that “if religion were true its followers would not try to bludgeon their young into artificial conformity, but would merely…

Consumer Freedom

Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Except Those with Eating Disorders)

Blog

Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Except Those with Eating Disorders)

  • By: Connor Kianpour, Michelle Minton
  • 08/06/2019

The goal of the government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans is to provide simple advice that promotes nutritional health, but for millions of Americans it may do…

Consumer Freedom

If You Vape (Illicit Street Drugs), It May Kill You (Duh)

Blog

If You Vape (Illicit Street Drugs), It May Kill You (Duh)

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 07/30/2019

Over the last four weeks, eight Wisconsin teenagers have been hospitalized with severe lung damage. The news that vaping caused these illnesses has swept across…

Consumer Freedom

Bogus E-cigarette Panic Literally Killing People

Blog

Bogus E-cigarette Panic Literally Killing People

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 07/16/2019

Is this a story from The Onion? It’s a question we often ask ourselves these days when we encounter stories online that seem too ridiculous…

Consumer Freedom

Department of Health and Human Services Needs to Correct Record on Marijuana

Blog

Department of Health and Human Services Needs to Correct Record on Marijuana

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/12/2019

Regulators at the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) had an opportunity in 2016 to move marijuana into a less restrictive category of controlled substances. This…

Consumer Freedom

New York Times Runs Stealth Anti-Vaping Ad as Op-ed

Blog

New York Times Runs Stealth Anti-Vaping Ad as Op-ed

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/16/2019

Readers of The New York Times deserve better than advertising masquerading as righteous opinion writing. While reporters at Times get credit for exploring and exposing…

Consumer Freedom

FDA Created the Youth Vaping Epidemic, Now It’s Doubling Down

Blog

FDA Created the Youth Vaping Epidemic, Now It’s Doubling Down

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/15/2019

E-cigarettes pose less risk than smoking. The science is clear: while cigarettes kill about half their users, e-cigarettes have perhaps five percent of the risk.

Consumer Freedom

FDA’s Fake E-cigarette News

Blog

FDA’s Fake E-cigarette News

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/04/2019

Journalists aren’t the only purveyors of “fake news.” Federal agencies also generate misleading headlines. Sometimes, they do it with a purpose. That seems to be…

Consumer Freedom

Help Wanted: Seeking Commissioner for Food and Drug Administration

Blog

Help Wanted: Seeking Commissioner for Food and Drug Administration

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/01/2019

In a tidal wave of Washington drama, President Trump’s Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb abruptly and unexpectedly announced in March 2019 that he…

Consumer Freedom

States Challenge Federal Internet Gambling Ban

Blog

States Challenge Federal Internet Gambling Ban

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/11/2019

This January, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an opinion that threatens legal online gambling in the U.S. The tenuous rationale on which the opinion…

Consumer Freedom

E-Cigarette Puritans Risk Lives

Blog

E-Cigarette Puritans Risk Lives

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/07/2019

Tobacco companies faced a savage backlash in the 1990s when the public realized they willfully misled the world about the dangers of smoking. Yet when…

Consumer Freedom

Department of Justice Disregards Intent of Congress on Internet Gambling

Blog

Department of Justice Disregards Intent of Congress on Internet Gambling

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/16/2019

Congress was not vague in its intent when it enacted the Wire Act in 1961. The law, developed and supported by then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy,…

Consumer Freedom

Agenda for the 116th Congress: Consumer Freedom

Blog

Agenda for the 116th Congress: Consumer Freedom

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/15/2019

The second-to-last chapter in the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s agenda for the 116th Congress focuses on consumer freedom. Specifically, the chapter recommends ways Congress can rein…

Consumer Freedom

85 Years after Repeal, Prohibition Lingers in Your Beer

Blog

85 Years after Repeal, Prohibition Lingers in Your Beer

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 12/10/2018

On December 5, 1933 the federal government’s nationwide prohibition against alcohol ended. Eighty-five years later, the beer market seems to have finally recovered. Today, there…

Consumer Freedom

Can You Buy Alcohol on Christmas (and New Year’s Day) in Your State?

Blog

Can You Buy Alcohol on Christmas (and New Year’s Day) in Your State?

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 12/03/2018

The holidays bring parties, feasts, and libations. But some celebrants may find themselves without a cup of cheer if they wait until the day of a…

Consumer Freedom

Congress Should Stay out of Sports Betting Regulation

Blog

Congress Should Stay out of Sports Betting Regulation

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/20/2018

For the first time in twenty-five years, Americans can legally wager on the outcome of sporting events outside of Nevada. Thanks to a Supreme…

Banking and Finance

No, One or Two Alcoholic Drinks a Day Is Not Unsafe or Unhealthy

Blog

No, One or Two Alcoholic Drinks a Day Is Not Unsafe or Unhealthy

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/31/2018

Here we go again. A new round of news headlines implies any level of alcohol consumption is bad for you, based on the findings…

Consumer Freedom

One Year Later, Federal Plan on Tobacco Harm Reduction Needs Improvement

Blog

One Year Later, Federal Plan on Tobacco Harm Reduction Needs Improvement

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/31/2018

The Food and Drug Administration has failed to approve a single reduced-harm nicotine product in the past year, despite unveiling a new “roadmap” in…

Consumer Freedom

Science Reporters Get it Wrong: Moderate Alcohol Consumption Isn’t Dangerous

Blog

Science Reporters Get it Wrong: Moderate Alcohol Consumption Isn’t Dangerous

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 08/17/2018

Joel Achenbach, a science and politics reporter, once asked why “many reasonable people doubt science.” He should look at his own reporting on alcohol…

Consumer Freedom

For Sake of Public Health, FDA Should Not Ban E-cigarette Flavors

Blog

For Sake of Public Health, FDA Should Not Ban E-cigarette Flavors

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 07/16/2018

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gotlieb, a medical doctor and cancer survivor, has had a long-term interest in tackling tobacco-related diseases. But unfortunately…

Consumer Freedom

Last Chance for the 115th: Protect Lifesaving Vaping Products

Blog

Last Chance for the 115th: Protect Lifesaving Vaping Products

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/22/2018

Congress must act before anti-tobacco zealots in and outside of government eliminate life-saving vaping products. Anything that makes e-cigarettes less attractive to smokers will result in…

Consumer Freedom

Prop E Win in San Francisco Would Be Loss for Public Health

Blog

Prop E Win in San Francisco Would Be Loss for Public Health

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/01/2018

“Big Tobacco” is pouring millions into a campaign to maintain their ability to keep selling harmful products that target children. At least, that’s the narrative…

Consumer Freedom

Supreme Court Ends Sports Betting Prohibition—Now What?

Blog

Supreme Court Ends Sports Betting Prohibition—Now What?

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/21/2018

It’s hard to believe it was just last Monday the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal law that, for 25 years, prevented the states…

Consumer Freedom

Senseless Menu Labeling Rules Go into Effect in May

Blog

Senseless Menu Labeling Rules Go into Effect in May

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/03/2018

Within days, chain restaurants and grocery stores nationwide will have to comply with a high-cost, low-value Obamacare menu labeling mandate. Failure to comply with the…

Consumer Freedom

How States Can Win Big from Legal Sports Betting

Blog

How States Can Win Big from Legal Sports Betting

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/15/2018

Every March, millions of Americans join friends, relatives, and coworkers in “March Madness” betting pools, centered on the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Men’s Basketball…

Consumer Freedom

States: Protect Taxpayers and Reject Sports Gambling Rent-Seekers

Blog

States: Protect Taxpayers and Reject Sports Gambling Rent-Seekers

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/31/2018

For the last 25 years, the states have lost out on millions in tax revenue they could have collected from sports betting, thanks to a…

Consumer Freedom

California’s Cancerous Coffee Nonsense

Blog

California’s Cancerous Coffee Nonsense

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/26/2018

If you have ever visited California, you have probably encountered the warning labels that appear on everything from seaweed to soft drinks, informing you…

Consumer Freedom

Justice Department Breaks Trump Vow to Leave Marijuana up to States

Blog

Justice Department Breaks Trump Vow to Leave Marijuana up to States

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 01/05/2018

It is Congress’s responsibility to finally update federal drug laws in a way that reflects America’s changing values and priorities. …

Business and Government

Supreme Court Could Hand Down Game-Changing Ruling for Sports Betting

Blog

Supreme Court Could Hand Down Game-Changing Ruling for Sports Betting

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 12/07/2017

There's good reason to think that the Supreme Court will not only rule that New Jersey has the right to repeal its own sports betting ban,…

Law and Litigation

Supreme Court Gambles with State Sovereignty

Blog

Supreme Court Gambles with State Sovereignty

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 12/04/2017

This morning the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case that pits New Jersey against both the nation’s largest sports leagues and the…

Consumer Freedom

FDA Issues Commonsense Federal Guidance on Nutrition Labeling

Blog

FDA Issues Commonsense Federal Guidance on Nutrition Labeling

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 11/08/2017

While it might not be ideal, it’s an improvement on the former scenario—a sprinkling of common sense on an otherwise foolish regulation.

Consumer Freedom

Pennsylvania Becomes the Fourth State to Legalize Online Gambling

Blog

Pennsylvania Becomes the Fourth State to Legalize Online Gambling

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 11/02/2017

This past Monday, October 30, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed a bill legalizing Internet gambling throughout the state. The move makes the Keystone State the…

Consumer Freedom

New York’s Anti-Science Vape Ban Will Not Reduce Smoking Rates or Save Lives

Blog

New York’s Anti-Science Vape Ban Will Not Reduce Smoking Rates or Save Lives

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/24/2017

Thanks to the education efforts of public health activists, today few Americans are now unaware of the dangers of smoking. As a result, cigarette use…

Consumer Freedom

The Importance of an Under-the-Radar Supreme Court Case on Sports Betting

Blog

The Importance of an Under-the-Radar Supreme Court Case on Sports Betting

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/16/2017

New Jersey tried to repeal its own law against sports gambling, but a federal law banning sports gambling was used to stop New Jersey’s voters…

Consumer Freedom

Blog

Cook County, Illinois Voters not Fooled by Soda Tax’s Empty Promises

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/12/2017

Less than two months after implementing a new “soda tax,” lawmakers in Cook County, Illinois, are repealing the cent-per ounce tax. The Washington Post…

Consumer Freedom

Cut Red Tape and Save Lives by Regulating Tobacco Alternatives Based on Risk

Blog

Cut Red Tape and Save Lives by Regulating Tobacco Alternatives Based on Risk

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/02/2017

At the beginning of the year, President Trump issued an Executive Order aimed at cutting red tape. The order directs federal agencies to set…

Consumer Freedom

Public Health Community, Heal Thyself

Blog

Public Health Community, Heal Thyself

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 10/02/2017

We owe a debt of gratitude to the public health movement. Without its research and advocacy, we would not have learned to stop the spread…

Consumer Freedom

Conservatives & Libertarians to GOP: Time to Evolve on Marijuana Policy

Blog

Conservatives & Libertarians to GOP: Time to Evolve on Marijuana Policy

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 09/14/2017

A bill introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) will prevent the Department of Justice from using taxpayer dollars to prosecute medical marijuana…

Consumer Freedom

Blog

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Sports Betting Case

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/27/2017

This morning, the United States Supreme Court announced it would hear New Jersey’s case on gambling and federalism. The decision seems to reflect concerns raised…

Consumer Freedom

Blog

Why OLC is Unlikely to Criminalize Online Gambling

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/23/2017

I have immense esteem for my friend Norm Singleton at the Campaign for Liberty. His lengthy Capitol Hill experience, depth of knowledge, and humor have…

Consumer Freedom

Rep. Dent Tries Again to Sneak Online Gambling Ban Through Congress

Blog

Rep. Dent Tries Again to Sneak Online Gambling Ban Through Congress

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/20/2017

All Americans, regardless of political affiliation or their opinion on gambling, should resist attempts to bypass the democratic process.

Consumer Freedom

Law Enforcement Joins Coalition to End Sports Gambling Ban

Blog

Law Enforcement Joins Coalition to End Sports Gambling Ban

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/13/2017

The American Gaming Association (AGA) launched a new coalition with one mission: end the unconstitutional ban on legal sports betting.

Consumer Freedom

Federal Trade Commission Eyes Costly New Contact Lens Rules

Blog

Federal Trade Commission Eyes Costly New Contact Lens Rules

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 06/02/2017

Despite a decent track-record when it comes to promoting an open and competitive market for eyeglasses and contact lenses, the FTC recently made a notable…

Consumer Freedom

Gottlieb Tells Congress FDA Will Base E-Cig Regulations on Science

Blog

Gottlieb Tells Congress FDA Will Base E-Cig Regulations on Science

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/26/2017

Democrats like to portray their party as the “party of science.” Yet, when it comes to harm-reducing tobacco alternatives that offer millions of smokers a…

Consumer Freedom

Blog

Sports Gambling Bill Might Unite Groups in Opposition

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/26/2017

Yesterday I wrote about a new proposal, released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, that would end the 25-year prohibition against states legalizing…

Blog

Breaking: Gambling Bill Could Restore Freedom to States

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/25/2017

Congress may soon consider a bill that would repeal outdated federal gambling prohibitions, and thus allow states to legalize and regulate any form of gambling,…

Regulatory Reform

Supreme Court Should Overturn Congress’ Sports Betting Ban

Blog

Supreme Court Should Overturn Congress’ Sports Betting Ban

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/18/2017

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act is blatantly unconstitutional and ought to be struck down in full.

Consumer Freedom

Biggest Study Yet Shows the Dangers of War on Salt

Blog

Biggest Study Yet Shows the Dangers of War on Salt

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/17/2017

History, and consumers, will not look kindly on organizations that continue to cling to their unjustified war on salt.

Consumer Freedom

Trump DOJ Nominee Unlikely to Bend to Anti-Gamblers’ Will

Blog

Trump DOJ Nominee Unlikely to Bend to Anti-Gamblers’ Will

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/12/2017

Steven Engel—Trump’s nominee to head this powerful office—indicated during his confirmation hearing that would not be swayed by political pressure or convenience.

Consumer Freedom

How FDA Commissioner Gottlieb Can Save E-Cigarettes and Lives

Blog

How FDA Commissioner Gottlieb Can Save E-Cigarettes and Lives

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/11/2017

Now that he has triumphed over the confirmation process, Gottlieb’s real challenge—streamlining the FDA for the benefit of consumers—begins.

Consumer Freedom

Democrats Kill Vape Amendment, Possibly Thousands of Americans

Blog

Democrats Kill Vape Amendment, Possibly Thousands of Americans

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 05/01/2017

It is a dark day for science-based regulation. In the early hours of Monday morning, Congress finally rolled out its $1 trillion budget deal in…

Consumer Freedom

Healthy Kids Can Coexist with Flavored E-cigarettes for Adults

Blog

Healthy Kids Can Coexist with Flavored E-cigarettes for Adults

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/19/2017

Research indicates that flavored e-cigarettes help smokers switch to vaping and not go back to their deadly traditional cigarette habit.

Consumer Freedom

CEI E-Cigarette Lawsuit Takes on Activist Agencies

Blog

CEI E-Cigarette Lawsuit Takes on Activist Agencies

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 04/10/2017

The battle over electronic cigarettes heats up even more this week as the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s general counsel Sam Kazman argued in court against a…

CEI Litigation

Blog

Raiders’ Vegas Move Signals NFL Warming to Legal Sports Gambling

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/29/2017

Next to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), there has been no greater opponent to legalizing sports gambling in the U.S. than the National Football…

Consumer Freedom

Salt Awareness Week Perpetuates Misguided Approach to Hypertension

Blog

Salt Awareness Week Perpetuates Misguided Approach to Hypertension

  • By: Michelle Minton
  • 03/21/2017

If we really want to help people live longer, it’s time to shelve the one-size-fits-all “salt only” approach to hypertension reduction.

Consumer Freedom

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