Guy Bentley

Washington, D.C.

Consumer Freedom Director at Reason

Director of Consumer Freedom @ReasonFdn

Articles

Massachusetts' tobacco flavor ban failure

2 months ago | reason.org | Guy Bentley

It’s been just under five years since Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, and an illicit market there is booming, according to a new report. Data from Massachusetts’ Multi-Agency Illegal Tobacco Task Force shows a surge in illegal vape seizures from 71,746 in 2022 to 308,100 in 2024.
U.S. gambling addiction isn’t surging, contrary to new study's claims

Feb 17, 2025 | reason.com | Guy Bentley

betting A new study claims addiction is on the rise because internet searches for gambling terms are increasing.
Gambling Addiction Isn't Surging

Feb 17, 2025 | yahoo.com | Guy Bentley

A study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine claims to reveal a surge in gambling addiction following the legalization of sports betting. But does a rise in internet searches for gambling terms mean there's been an actual increase in gambling addiction? After the Supreme Court struck down the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, states were allowed to legalize gambling on sports—since then, 38 states and the District of Columbia have some form of legal sports betting.
Biden's cigarette ban will enrich the Chinese Communist Party

Jan 17, 2025 | reason.org | Guy Bentley

With days left in office, the Biden White House has given the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the green light to advance a near-total cigarette ban that would present an enormous profit opportunity for Mexican cartels and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This proposed rule would ban the sale of more than 99.9 percent of cigarettes currently sold in the U.S. by demanding tobacco companies remove almost all of the nicotine from their cigarettes.
FDA's fantasy modeling doesn't justify ban on cigarettes

Jan 16, 2025 | reason.org | Guy Bentley

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to mandate the removal of 97 percent of the nicotine in cigarettes, meaning almost every cigarette currently sold in America would be banned. And it’s not just cigarettes in the FDA’s line of fire. Most cigars and pipe tobacco will have to meet the FDA’s new nicotine standard. The economic and employment impacts of the FDA’s rule could be devastating for many.
Denver should reject a flavored tobacco ban

Nov 27, 2024 | reason.org | Guy Bentley

Three years after the last failed attempt to ban flavored tobacco, prohibition is once again on the Denver City Council’s agenda. Even when motivated by the best intentions, the evidence shows these bans often do more harm than good. Flavored tobacco is allegedly responsible for a litany of harms, including an ”epidemic” of youth use. Advocates claim banning these products will have few to no negative consequences.
The youth 'vaping epidemic' is over

Sep 30, 2024 | reason.org | Guy Bentley

The number of kids using e-cigarettes has fallen to a 10-year low, according to the federal 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Vaping among middle and high school students in 2024 has collapsed by 70 percent from its peak in 2019, with just 5.9 percent of students vaping at least once in the past 30 days, significantly lower than the use of either alcohol (22%) or cannabis (17%). Youth vaping was declared an “epidemic” by former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Addams in 2018.
Congress spotlights the FDA's "Kafkaesque" vaping regulation

Jun 17, 2024 | reason.org | Guy Bentley

The U.S. e-cigarette market is awash with illicit vapes. Few consumers or retailers know which products are legal and which are not. Thanks to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to deny authorization for more than 99 percent of e-cigarettes, crushing the domestic vape market, companies mostly based in China have stepped in to satisfy consumer demand for these safer alternatives to cigarettes.
The World Health Organization risks credibility with inaccurate attacks on vaping

May 31, 2024 | reason.org | Guy Bentley

May 31 marks World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), an annual event created by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987 to raise awareness about the harms of tobacco products. What was once a simple exercise in public health communication is now igniting discussion about whether the WHO itself is promoting incorrect or misleading information about the relative risks of different tobacco products. The main point of contention surrounds the WHO’s position on e-cigarettes.
Rhode Island Gov. McKee’s proposed e-cigarette tax is a bad approach to public health

Apr 17, 2024 | reason.org | Guy Bentley

One part of Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee’s proposed state budget is stirring up controversy: a tax on e-cigarettes, the most popular alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. The state budget proposal is incredibly harsh, seeking to impose an 80 percent tax on e-cigarettes. If adopted, a tax like this could disincentivize people from using safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes.