Cigarettes | Reason Archives (original) (raw)

Pack of cigarettes and how to get through the 2024 election | Nerevarin | Dreamstime.com

Smoking Bans

To Get Through the Election, Smoke a Cigarette

This election is all about pursuing short-term political highs while willfully ignoring long-term problems. What could pair better with that than a cigarette?

Christian Britschgi | 10.11.2024 11:40 AM

Vaping

More Evidence that Bans on Flavored Vaping Products May Increase Teen Smoking

Policies that increase the use of traditional cigarettes are unlikely to improve public health.

Jonathan H. Adler |The Volokh Conspiracy | 6.11.2024 2:13 PM

An illustration showing several consumer goods, including meat, gasoline, liquor, and televisions | Photos: iStock

The Sindex

The Sindex: Cigarette Prices Outpacing Inflation

The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.

Jason Russell | 2.18.2024 6:00 AM

Sen. Chuck Schumer holds a container of Zyn nicotine pouches in his right hand and a piece of paper with other images of Zyn containers in his left hand. A man wearing a white coat and a tie stands behind him. | Ron Adar / M10s / MEGA / Newscom/RAAST/Newscom

Nanny State

Chuck Schumer Attacks Lifesaving Zyn Nicotine Pouches

Zyn pouches are a dramatically safer alternative to smoking.

Guy Bentley | 1.24.2024 1:15 PM

IQOS heated tobacco product | Illustration: Lex Villena; Vaping360.com

Tobacco

It's Not a Cigarette. It's Not a Vape. And It's Big in Japan.

Heated tobacco products are coming to America, at long last. How will they change the landscape for smokers and prohibitionists?

Jacob Grier | 1.9.2024 7:00 AM

bottles of nicotine liquid for vaping devices | Richard B. Levine/Newscom

Vaping

Remember the Teen Vaping 'Epidemic'?

Policies inspired by that exaggerated threat continue to undermine the harm-reducing potential of e-cigarettes.

Jacob Sullum | 11.8.2023 12:01 AM

Cigarettes in a line | Photo 31062307 © Deyangeorgiev | Dreamstime.com

Biden Administration

Take It From Brazil, Biden's Ban on Flavored Cigarettes and Cigars Will Be a Disaster

Brazil now has one of the largest cigarette markets in the world, despite its efforts to rid the country of cigarettes through prohibition.

Joseph Bouchard | 11.2.2023 7:00 AM

A shadowed figure of a man vapes with a red and pink glowing background behind the figure | Photo 112959091 © Ilkin Guliyev | Dreamstime.com

Vaping

American Lung Association Demands the FDA Mislead the Public About Vaping

Providing accurate information about the risks of different nicotine products is long overdue.

Guy Bentley | 9.5.2023 3:00 PM

Premium cigars won against the FDA | Photo 6165498 © Angelina Kastilo Solis | Dreamstime.com

Smoking Bans

Premium Cigars Escape FDA Regulation for Now

The FDA failed to consider whether premium cigars warranted a different regulatory approach than cigarettes.

Jacob Grier | 8.11.2023 2:00 PM

FDA

Uneducating Americans on Vaping

Since the FDA began regulating vaping products as "tobacco" products, American ignorance about vaping's realtive risks has gotten worse.

Jonathan H. Adler |The Volokh Conspiracy | 6.25.2023 8:32 PM

New York Governor Kathy Hochul isn't just waging a war on menthols. She's also floating a ban on all cigarette sales in the state. | Illustration: Lex Villena;  Ming Kai Chiang, Lev Radin/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

State Governments

New York Governor Gauging Support for Full Ban on All Cigarette Sales

Kathy Hochul isn't just waging a war on menthols. She's also floating a ban on all cigarette sales in the state.

Liz Wolfe | 4.24.2023 2:00 PM

Even the best studies haven't surmounted a key statistical issue, and they tend to distort the evidence to make e-cigarettes look dangerous. | Illustration: Lex Villena

Vaping

Do Studies Show Vaping Causes Cancer? No.

Even the best studies haven't surmounted a key statistical issue, and they tend to distort the evidence to make e-cigarettes look dangerous.

Aaron Brown | 4.11.2023 11:00 AM

Woman smoking an e-cigarette in front of neon lights | Photo 122603552 © Tatiana Chekryzhova | Dreamstime.com

Tobacco

Massachusetts' Tobacco Ban Went as Badly as You'd Expect

And now the state thinks it needs to crack down even more.

Jacob Grier | 3.9.2023 12:05 PM

John Stossel | Stossel TV

Economics

Meet the Students Pushing Back Against Socialism

"It's very easy for politicians to legislate freedom away," says Northwood University's Kristin Tokarev. "But it's incredibly hard to get back."

John Stossel | 3.8.2023 4:05 PM

President Joe Biden photographed in black and white, in front of the American flag, surrounded by smoking white and gray clouds. | Illustration: Lex Villenas. Photo: CNP/AdMedia/Newscom

Joe Biden

Biden's Anti-Vaping Policies Undermine Cancer Moonshot

To reduce cancer deaths, Biden should stop restricting safer nicotine alternatives.

Guy Bentley | 2.8.2023 3:05 PM

Menthol cigarettes | Chernetskaya / Dreamstime.com

Cigarettes

California Voters Keep State Ban on Flavored Tobacco and Vapes

Bring on the black market.

Scott Shackford | 11.9.2022 12:21 AM

A man vaping | Photosvit / Dreamstime.com

Tobacco

Will Californians Overrule the State's Intrusive Flavored Tobacco Ban?

Voters have shown a propensity to veto the meddlesome efforts of lawmakers in the past.

Scott Shackford | 10.26.2022 3:15 PM

Teenager vaping | DPST/Newscom

Vaping

New Survey Data Show Adolescent Vaping Remains Far Less Common Than It Was a Few Years Ago

The CDC is still citing underage consumption as a reason to restrict adult access.

Jacob Sullum | 10.6.2022 6:25 PM

miniscigarettevending_wikimediacommons | Wikimedia Commons

Object

Review: The Fall of Cigarette Vending Machines

Formerly ubiquitous tobacco vending machine sales are now banned under a 2010 FDA measure.

Ronald Bailey | 8.5.2022 6:00 AM

Menthol cigarettes and Juul menthol pods | Randalls/PricePointNY/Piggly Wiggly

Tobacco

The FDA Perversely Seeks To Make Both Cigarettes and Harm-Reducing Alternatives Less Appealing

The agency’s policies would boost the black market and smoking-related deaths.

Jacob Sullum | 7.6.2022 12:01 AM

woman vapes with Juul | Niyi Fote/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Prohibition

The FDA's War on Juul Will Kill People

Bureaucrats say they want to save lives. But they're moving to block a tool that is proven to help smokers quit entirely.

Veronique de Rugy | 6.30.2022 2:35 PM

hand holding a smoking cigarette | Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@minhtit96?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Lê Tit</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/smoking?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

Nicotine

Mandating Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Could Make Smoking More Dangerous

Plus: Supreme Court rules on school choice and criminal justice reform, Louisiana's trigger law criminalizes abortion at any stage, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 6.22.2022 9:30 AM

cigarettes | Nomadsoul1 / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Loosie, You've Got Some Explaining to Do

Charles Oliver | 6.15.2022 4:00 AM

thumbnail (1) | (Illustration: Lex Villena; Lepasik | Dreamstime.com)

The Reason Roundtable

The DHS Will Be Disinformation Dolts

Plus: perpetual "scope creep" of the welfare state

Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman | 5.2.2022 4:24 PM

menthol-cigarette-ads | Stanford Research Into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising

Regulation

The FDA's Menthol Cigarette Ban Is a 'Racial Justice' Issue, but Not in the Way Its Supporters Mean

The proposed rule, which targets the cigarettes that black smokers overwhelmingly prefer, will harm the community it is supposed to help.

Jacob Sullum | 4.28.2022 3:25 PM

krtphotoslive455661 | Phil Velsquez/MCT/Newscom

Regulation

FDA Case for Menthol Ban Undermined by New Study

Menthols aren’t harder to quit than other cigarettes.

Guy Bentley | 4.27.2022 2:55 PM

Puff-Bar-picture | Puff Bar

Vaping

Congress Seems Poised To Let the FDA Ban E-Cigarettes Containing Synthetic Nicotine

A spending bill provision would redefine "tobacco products" to include products that have nothing to do with tobacco.

Jacob Sullum | 3.8.2022 4:16 PM

cigarettes_1161x653 | Puhhha / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Smoke 'Em While You've Still Got 'Em

Charles Oliver | 12.16.2021 4:00 AM

spnphotosfive438251 | Theodore Parisienne/Splash News/Newscom

Taxes

Why Do Democrats Want To Create More Eric Garners?

Higher cigarette taxes will fuel greater black-market activity and more confrontations with the police.

J.D. Tuccille | 10.22.2021 7:00 AM

zumaglobalten877188 | John Marshall Mantel/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Reason Roundup

House Democrats Ready Taxes on E-Cigarettes and Cryptocurrency

Plus: Vaccine mandates are popular, Texas versus free speech, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 9.13.2021 9:38 AM

smoking_1161x653 | Iamporpla / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Smoked Out

Charles Oliver | 7.27.2021 4:00 AM

rollcallpix040756 | Tom Williams/Roll Call Photos/Newscom

Smoking Bans

Cigars Aren't Cigarettes. A New Bill Proposes That the FDA Regulate Them Accordingly.

A bipartisan bill in Congress seeks to get the FDA out of the premium cigar industry.

Ella Lubell | 6.29.2021 9:57 AM

tpgrfphotos181604 | (c) Kzenon/Newscom

War on Drugs

D.C. Council's Ban on Flavored Tobacco Products Is a License for More Over-Policing of Minorities

Legislators cannot have it both ways.

Billy Binion | 6.16.2021 4:34 PM

ipurestockxtwo692157 | Ingram Publishing/Newscom

Reason Roundup

Teen Cigarette Smoking Went Up Following Flavored Tobacco Ban

Plus: Debate over critical race theory bans, Oklahoma City takes on major occupational licensing reform, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 5.26.2021 9:32 AM

neonbrand-I8LO9eXxjg8-unsplash | Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@neonbrand?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">NeONBRAND</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/cigarettes?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

FDA

The FDA Wants To Lower Nicotine in All Cigarettes, Which Will Make Smokers Smoke More

This is the same agency that cost thousands of lives with its botched vaccine rollout.

Veronique de Rugy | 4.29.2021 12:45 PM

sipaphotosfour534754 | Kris Tripplaar/Sipa USA/Newscom

Regulation

Menthol Cigarette Bans Will Fail Like Every Other Prohibition Scheme

The winners in every battle over restrictions are the people who do whatever they please without regard for government officials.

J.D. Tuccille | 2.12.2021 12:20 PM

reason-smoking | Svitlana Ponurkina/Dreamstime.com

Smoking Bans

San Francisco Considers $1,000 Fines for People Smoking Tobacco or Cannabis in Their Apartments

A bill under consideration by the city's Board of Supervisors would ban smoking in private dwellings located in apartment buildings with three or more units.

Christian Britschgi | 11.13.2020 3:25 PM

westendrf514194 | David Molina Grande Westend61/Newscom

Reason Roundup

Touching Your Phone While Driving Is Now Illegal in Idaho, Illinois, and Indiana

Plus: More (bad, weird, and occasionally good) new state laws that start taking effect today.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 7.1.2020 10:00 AM

splrfphotos067466 | SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Science Photo Library/Newscom

Reason Roundup

Can Nicotine Treat COVID-19? French Researchers Think So.

Plus: abortion bans defeated again, Peter Thiel company gets contact tracing contract, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 4.24.2020 9:30 AM

smoking_1161x653 | Maffboy / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: A Man's Home Is His Castle

Charles Oliver | 2.28.2020 4:00 AM

book1 | Harvard University Press (left); Kindle Direct

Cigarettes

How Truth Became a Casualty of the War on Smoking

Different types of nicotine consumption pose different amounts of risk.

Jacob Sullum | 1.11.2020 6:00 AM

Festivus | YouTube

Deficits

A Special Festivus Airing of Grievances from the Reason Roundtable Podcast

We've got a lot of problems with you people.

Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie | 12.23.2019 3:35 PM

andrewcuomo_1161x653 | SMG/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Cigarettes

Gov. Cuomo's Plan To Attack Cigarette Retailers Will Fuel New York's Black Market

More than half of cigarettes consumed in the state are smuggled from elsewhere, thanks to high taxes.

Scott Shackford | 12.23.2019 1:05 PM

Nora-Volkow-Newscom-cropped | Churck Kennedy/KRT/Newscom

Vaping

The government and the press focus on newfangled contraptions instead of drug-related harm.

Jacob Sullum | 12.19.2019 8:00 AM

A cigarette in one hand and a vape in the other | Vaping360

E-cigarettes

Public Health Scholars Warn: 'Prohibitionist' E-Cigarette Policies Undermine a 'Tremendous' Harm Reduction Opportunity

The Science article is a wake-up call for people who claim to be concerned about smoking-related disease and death.

Jacob Sullum | 12.13.2019 12:50 PM

NYTS-results-2019-big | CDC

E-cigarettes

Although Teenagers Are 80% Less Likely to Smoke Than They Were in 1999, the CDC Insists No Progress Has Been Made

The agency’s indifference between smoking and vaping is scientifically indefensible.

Jacob Sullum | 12.6.2019 2:30 PM

Juul-packages-4-Newscom | Richard B. Levine/Newscom

E-cigarettes

As the FDA Prepares to Ban E-Cigarette Flavors, the Government's Own Data Contradict Wild Claims About Adolescent Nicotine Addiction

The ban's supporters falsely claim that "a whole generation of young people" is "addicted to these products."

Jacob Sullum | 11.6.2019 1:35 PM

Juul-kit-cropped | JZS

E-cigarettes

New Study Casts Further Doubt on Warnings That Vaping Is a Gateway to Smoking

An analysis of survey data finds that pre-existing differences entirely explain the association between e-cigarette use and current smoking among teenagers.

Jacob Sullum | 11.5.2019 5:35 PM

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