The Competitive Enterprise Institute believes the proper role for government is to provide consumers with accurate, unbiased guidance that informs consumer choice. But, whether it is the substances we prefer, how we entertain ourselves, what dietary habits we maintain, or how we pursue personal health, consumers ought to have the right to make decisions for themselves.
Consumer Freedom Issue Areas
Featured Posts
Blog
California’s $20 fast food worker minimum wage a regressive tax
California’s new $20 an hour minimum wage for fast food restaurants has turned into a regressive tax on the state’s low-income residents. People who wanted…
Blog
FDA makes lab test power play
The Food and Drug Administration has just released its long anticipated final rule that explicitly asserts its claim of authority to regulate laboratory-developed-tests (LDTs)—tests that are designed, manufactured,…
Blog
Department of Energy is coming after our light bulbs – again
We have already said goodbye to the incandescent light bulb, thanks to federal regulations. Will its replacement be next? Department of Energy (DOE) efficiency regulations…
Search Posts
Blog
Why OLC is Unlikely to Criminalize Online Gambling
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…
Fortune
States Are Secretly Trying to Tax Your Online Purchases
States and localities currently cannot tax online purchases made from companies outside their own borders. Yet over the past two decades, state and local…
Blog
Rep. Dent Tries Again to Sneak Online Gambling Ban Through Congress
All Americans, regardless of political affiliation or their opinion on gambling, should resist attempts to bypass the democratic process.
NPR
Trump Administration Gives Industry More Time to Adopt New Nutrition Fact Label
NPR covers the FDA’s decision to delay an Obama-era menu labeling rule. The Food and Drug Administration has delayed the deadline for food…
News Release
Today’s FDA Decision on Food Labeling is the Right One
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an indefinite delay in the launch of new food labeling mandates put forward by the…
Blog
Law Enforcement Joins Coalition to End Sports Gambling Ban
The American Gaming Association (AGA) launched a new coalition with one mission: end the unconstitutional ban on legal sports betting.
Bloomberg BNA
Retailers Win, Banks Lose in Debit-Card Swipe Fee Fight
Bloomberg BNA covers the Durbin Amendment and a statement put out by CEI’s Iain Murray. An effort to repeal the caps that banks…
Blog
Laptop Bans Harm Tourism and Airlines
Banning laptop computers from airplane cabins could not only harm safety, but also the tourism industry.
Blog
Federal Trade Commission Eyes Costly New Contact Lens Rules
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…
Blog
Gottlieb Tells Congress FDA Will Base E-Cig Regulations on Science
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…
Blog
Supreme Court Should Overturn Congress’ Sports Betting Ban
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act is blatantly unconstitutional and ought to be struck down in full.
Blog
Biggest Study Yet Shows the Dangers of War on Salt
History, and consumers, will not look kindly on organizations that continue to cling to their unjustified war on salt.
Blog
Trump DOJ Nominee Unlikely to Bend to Anti-Gamblers’ Will
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.
Blog
How Flying Dog Brewery Fought Government Censors and Won
Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog Brewery, sits down with Reason TV’s Nick Gillespie to discuss the brewing business, marketplace diversity, evolving consumer taste, and…
Blog
How FDA Commissioner Gottlieb Can Save E-Cigarettes and Lives
Now that he has triumphed over the confirmation process, Gottlieb’s real challenge—streamlining the FDA for the benefit of consumers—begins.
Washington Examiner
The Wire Act was Already Restored
In his April 24 op-ed, lobbyist Jon Bruning presented several alternative facts about our nation’s gambling laws and history. The most egregious error was…
Blog
Democrats Kill Vape Amendment, Possibly Thousands of Americans
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…
Townhall
Restoring Archaic Law Bad for States and Taxpayers
Townhall highlights a coalition letter led by CEI opposing a regulation on online gambling. In fact, a coalition of free market groups led…
Washington Examiner
New York Times Editorial Shoots at Big Tobacco, Hits Innocent Vapers Instead
Washington Examiner discusses the flaws of the argument that electronic cigarette flavors will attract to children with Michelle Minton. Far from seeking to…
Blog
Healthy Kids Can Coexist with Flavored E-cigarettes for Adults
Research indicates that flavored e-cigarettes help smokers switch to vaping and not go back to their deadly traditional cigarette habit.
Townhall
Sessions Should Leave Online Gaming Regulation To The States
Townhall discusses the history of the Wire Act with Michelle Minton. The Wire Act was passed before the internet existed. Its objective was…
Blog
Trump Can Fund Chemical Safety Review while Cutting EPA Budget
A recently leaked EPA memo reveals there are plenty of discretionary programs to cut.
The Hill
Republicans Of All People Should Shun Federal Online Gambling Ban
America’s governors want Congress to end a longstanding ban on internet gambling — at least, enough of them do to warrant the National Governor’s…
Blog
CEI E-Cigarette Lawsuit Takes on Activist Agencies
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…
Blog
Freethink Media on the Folly of the Overpopulation Panic
Freethink Media takes a look back on the overpopulation debate of the 1960s and 1970s, and work of one exceptional human being.
American Legislative Exchange Council
Gaming – It’s a Matter of State Sovereignty
During the last Super Bowl, as many as half of the 113 million viewers made some kind of a wager on the outcome…
American Legislative Exchange Council
End the Madness by Letting States Legalize Sports Betting
With the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Men’s Basketball Championship in full swing, sports fans around the nation eagerly follow the action not just to…
Blog
Raiders’ Vegas Move Signals NFL Warming to Legal Sports Gambling
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…
Blog
Salt Awareness Week Perpetuates Misguided Approach to Hypertension
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.
Real Clear Policy
The Truth About Vaping
We can’t be trusted with the truth about e-cigarettes’ health risks — that’s what government health officials and many advocates seem to think. Almost every…
Blog
Salt, Science, and Health: FAQ
CEI consumer policy analyst Michelle Minton answers 8 questions about the effects of salt on human health.
Fox News
End the madness: Let adults bet on sports
This month, millions of Americans will participate in March Madness—friendly betting pools on the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Men’s Basketball Championship. People from diverse…
Spectator Health
Salt is not the enemy. It’s time authorities stopped demonising it
Forty years ago, the United States senate undertook the near-impossible task of reviewing all existing evidence on nutrition in order to recommend a diet for…
One News Now
Economic reality: no free lunch…or sodas either
One News Now discusses Philadelphia’s soda tax with Michelle Minton. If you ask Michelle Minton at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, everybody wants to…
Blog
Legalized Sports Betting a Sane Response to March Madness
Congress should combat fraud, blackmail, and organized crime with legalized sports betting.
Watchdog.org
Free-market group says Congress should repeal federal sports gambling ban
Watchdog.org reports on Michelle Minton’s study on the Professional and Amarteur Sports Protection Act. But as with the movement to give states the…
Politico
Trump rally rages on: Legalize Sports Betting!
Politico’s Morning Money highlights Michelle Minton’s report on the federal government’s prohibition on sports wagering. In a new paper, Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Steven…
Reason.com
The Federal Ban on Sports Betting Is Unfair, Unnecessary, and Unconstitutional
Reason.org highlights Michelle Minton and Steven Titch’s report on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. As Steven Titch and Michelle Minton note in…
Legal Sports Report
US Congress Should End Federal Sports Betting Ban, New Report Argues
Legal Sports Report highlights Michelle Minton and Steven Titch’s report on sports wagering. A report released today by a Washington D.C.-based libertarian think…
Study
Time to End the Madness around March Madness
View Full Document as PDF This March, millions of Americans will join friends, relatives, and coworkers in the annual rite of betting…
Blog
Low-Cost Private Schools a Success for Developing World Families
Education reform advocates in the United States have a lot to learn from low-cost private schools in the world's poorest communities.
Blog
“I, Whiskey” Screens at the Oxford Film Festival
Richard Morrison and Amanda France recently presented the CEI film "I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit" at the Oxford Film Festival.
Blog
New Bill Could Save Vaping Market and Millions of Lives
If we can’t fully overturn FDA’s authority to regulate vapes, the next best option would be to alter the grandfather date as the Deeming Authority…
Blog
Five Regulatory Heartbreaks on Valentine’s Day
Tomorrow we celebrate our significant other by showering them with affection and chocolate—but is government regulation getting in the way of your date night?…
Blog
Celebrate Hans Rosling’s Fact-Based Optimism about Our World
Fans of free markets and limited government were often especially disposed admire Hans Rosling, given his relentless debunking of scare stories that are often used…
Blog
The Super Bowl: Not Just for Football Fans
The Super Bowl is perennially one of the most-watched TV events around the world, so it’s no surprise that millions of people find reasons to…
US News & World Report
Take a Gamble on Sports Betting: On Super Bowl Sunday, millions of Americans will violate a silly law against gambling on professional sports
In the wake of an intensely polarizing presidential election, there’s comfort in knowing that about half of the nation, regardless of race, gender or…
Watchdog.org
Texas lawmaker wants to raise tobacco age, dent vaping in the process
Watchdog.org discusses the FDA’s regulation on electronic cigarettes with Michelle Minton. So why do government entities want to prohibit e-cigarettes? The short answer…
Blog
Scrap Proposition 65, California’s Unscientific Chemical Safety Law
California lawmakers should oppose the effort to list glyphosate as a carcinogen under the state's chemical safety and risk law, originally adopted by voters as…
Politico
Trump eyes NAFTA talks to pay for Mexico border wall: Sodium Debate Rages On
Politico’s Morning Agriculture discusses the FDA’s voluntary sodium reduction plan with Michelle Minton. As the fate of the FDA’s voluntary sodium reduction strategy…