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
DC Flavored Tobacco Ban Will Make Life Harder for Marginalized Groups
The Council of the District of Columbia today voted to ban the sale of flavored tobacco, including menthol, a policy opposed by CEI and coalition…
FDA Menthol Ban Will Spur Illicit Market, Worsen Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice
The FDA today announced it will be banning menthol-flavored cigarettes and all flavors of cigars, with a proposal due out in the months ahead.
House-passed SAFE Banking Act Would End Federal Threat to Banks Dealing with Legal Cannabis Businesses
The House has passed a bill allowing banks to do business with cannabis companies, the SAFE Banking Act. While Senate action on the bill…
Blog
Tobacco Control’s Latest Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
- By: Michelle Minton
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.
Exposed: Bloomberg’s Anti-Tobacco Meddling in Developing Countries
- By: Michelle Minton
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…
It’s up to Drug Reformers to Stop the War on Nicotine
- By: Michelle Minton
In recent years, a growing number of Americans have been waking up to the failure of the War on Drugs. Officially initiated by President…
Op-Eds/Articles
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…
Inside Sources
Bloomberg’s Philanthro-Colonialism: A Threat to Global Health and Science
- By: Michelle Minton
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is in hot water overseas —and potentially at home—with members of the Philippines government accusing Bloomberg-funded charities of…
Cannabis Legalization Clears One Hurdle, but Political Parties Must Compromise to Succeed
- By: Michelle Minton
Last week, the House passed an historic bill to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level. Despite growing public and political support for such a measure,…
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
The Manila Bulletin
Groups Reveal Report on Bloomberg’s Meddling in PH
- By: Michelle Minton
The Manila Bulletin cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on Bloomberg’s anti-tobacco meddling: The Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines (NCUP) and the Philippine E-cigarette…
Reason
Sports Betting Pays Off
- By: Michelle Minton
Reason cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on sports betting: “There is nothing criminals like more than a large, unregulated betting market where they can…
News One
All Cigarettes Matter: Why Ban Just Menthols? Statistics Show 77% Of Black Smokers Prefer Them
- By: Michelle Minton
News One cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on menthol cigarettes: “The issue of tobacco control is no different, Michelle Minton recently wrote for the Competitive Enterprise…