Michelle Minton is a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Minton specializes in consumer policy, covering regulatory issues that include gambling, tobacco harm reduction, cannabis legalization, alcohol, and nutrition.
Minton has authored numerous studies, including topics like the effectiveness and unintended consequences of sin taxes and history of gambling regulation. Her analyses have been published and cited by nationally respected news outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today as well as peer-reviewed journals. She regularly appears in news media to discuss the unintended effects of laws and rules designed to save adults from their own choices which, not only conflicts with the principle of individual liberty, but often the goals of public health.
Ms. Minton holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Science from the University of new England.
When not working, Minton engages in hands-on “research” in her areas of expertise by spending many hours playing poker, enjoying salty foods, and drinking delicious craft beers.
Authored by Michelle Minton
News
House Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana – an Important First Step
The House on Friday passed legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (or MORE) Act…
Ill-Advised Nicotine Tax Thrown Back into Democrats’ “Build Back Better” Bill
Upon news that congressional Democrats today put a nicotine tax provision back into President Biden’s ever-changing “Build Back Better” plan (ostensibly aimed at COVID-19 relief,…
CEI Experts Weigh In on Reconciliation Framework Agreed to by White House and Congressional Democrats
WASHINGTON – The White House and congressional democrats announced agreement on a “framework” for a reconciliation bill that will spend nearly $2 trillion and includes…
Blog
Banning Menthol Cigarettes Will Do Nothing to Promote Racial Justice
- By: Michelle Minton
Public support for the War on Drugs has never been lower, due in no small part to increased awareness about the devastation drug criminalization…
CEI Joins Coalition Urging FDA Not to Ban Synthetic Nicotine
- By: Michelle Minton
This week CEI joined a coalition of groups urging Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf not to prohibit synthetic nicotine (read the…
FDA’s Dysfunctional Regulation of E-cigs Created the Synthetic Nicotine Problem
- By: Michelle Minton
Winston Churchill once said that “If you destroy a free market you create a black market” and nowhere is the validity of that statement…
Op-Eds/Articles
Reason
Can the FDA’s New Commissioner Save the Agency from Itself?
- By: Michelle Minton
Public trust in the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is at an all-time low, largely due to its bumbled handling of the pandemic. But…
Real Clear Policy
Sacrificing Truth and Science to Vilify Juul
- By: Michelle Minton
Two prominent U.S. Senators want Juul to be punished for paying a scientific journal to “rig the science,” as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) put it.
National Review
Don’t Ban E-Cigarette Delivery by Mail
- By: Michelle Minton
Amid the economic devastation caused by COVID-19, one industry has actually thrived: the cigarette business. Some people are smoking to relieve the emotional…
Studies
The Double Standards of Cannabis and Nicotine
- By: Michelle Minton
View Full Document as PDF Executive Summary The principal benefit of recreational cannabis, as the name implies, is recreation. Many who enjoy using…
Repeal of #NeverNeeded Regulations Can Help People Stay Home and Safe During the COVID-19 Crisis
As individuals and businesses continue to address the COVID-19 health crisis, access to technologies and services that have enabled large swaths of the economy to…
Perverse Psychology
- By: Michelle Minton
Cigarette smoking is a lethal habit that kills approximately half of those who sustain it over their lifetime. But, contrary to popular belief, the nicotine…
Citations
Los Angles Daily News
Menthol Ban a Bad, Harmful Idea
- By: Michelle Minton
Los Angeles Daily News cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on why e-cigarettes offer smokers a better alternative: “While some smokers might quit in response…
The Washington Times
Researchers Warn Trendy CBD Gummies Can Cause Failed Drug Tests
- By: Michelle Minton
The Washington Times cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on popular consumer gummies and vaporizers: Michelle Minton, a senior fellow at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise…
Reason
Since the FDA Has Not Approved Any Vaping Products, All of Them Are Now ‘Subject to Enforcement Action’
- By: Michelle Minton
Reason cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on e-cigarette regulations: “There is robust evidence that non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes help adults quit smoking,” notes Competitive Enterprise Institute senior…