Michelle Minton
Senior Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation
Michelle Minton is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Reason Foundation.
With a focus on consumer policy issues including gambling, alcohol, tobacco and nicotine, drug legalization, and health, Minton has authored numerous studies, including such topics as the effectiveness and unintended consequences of sin taxes, the history of gambling regulation, and the harmful consequences of drug war-styled policies on public health outcomes. 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, an approach that not only conflicts with the principles of individual liberty and bodily autonomy but often also the stated goals of public health policy.
Minton holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Science from the University of New England.
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California’s emergency hemp rules could block access to life-saving therapies
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently proposed emergency regulations to ban hemp products with 'any detectable quantity' of THC.
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The case for a surgeon general’s report on e-cigarettes
Nearly two decades of research on e-cigarettes has repeatedly vindicated e-cigarettes as a lower-risk alternative to combustible smoking.
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Colorado Proposition JJ seeks to retain sports betting tax revenue for water projects
Currently, all sports betting tax revenue in Colorado is directed toward a Water Plan Implementation Fund.
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A framework for federal and state hemp-derived cannabinoid regulation
The growing popularity of hemp-derived products has stimulated significant legislative attention in recent years, with over 90 regulatory proposals introduced in state legislatures in 2024 alone.
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The hidden costs of New York’s cannabis social equity program
New York’s cannabis equity program risks doing more harm than good to those it was designed to help while also distorting the state’s adult-use cannabis market.
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The prospects and perils of rescheduling cannabis
Rescheduling marijuana brings obvious benefits but also potential drawbacks that may require congressional action.
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Marijuana rescheduling is good news, but California still needs to reduce state taxes and regulations
California lawmakers need to do their part by reducing taxes and unnecessary regulations on legal cannabis products.
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Fentanyl in e-cigarettes: The making of a myth
There is no evidence of a nicotine e-cigarette testing positive for fentanyl.
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Getting cannabis legalization right in Hawaii
Hawaii may be poised to become the 25th state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults aged 21 and over.
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The implications of federal cannabis rescheduling
While the optimal solution would be to remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances entirely, moving it to Schedule III presents both immediate and long-term advantages over its current Schedule I designation.
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The case for interstate marijuana commerce right now
Pathways to establishing an interstate marketplace for marijuana.
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With youth vaping hitting a 10-year low, policymakers should focus on harm-reduction
Nations that have embraced noncombustible nicotine products and tobacco harm reduction are reaping the public health benefits.
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Drug Legalization Handbook
"America needs to recognize that we will not see a reduction in violent crimes until we legalize drugs. All drugs."
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Debunking the myth that vaping causes popcorn lung
There is no evidence that e-cigarettes cause popcorn lung. In fact, all of the evidence points to the contrary.
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What you need to know about the World Health Organization’s declarations on aspartame
Aspartame is one of the most studied sugar substitutes on the planet, and its safety has been repeatedly confirmed.
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Idaho’s restriction of overdose reversal medication is a fatal error
Making naloxone available to the public save lives and is cost-effective.
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Modern oral nicotine and tobacco harm reduction
Oral nicotine or nicotine pouches have gained increasing popularity among smokers wishing to switch to a safer form of nicotine.
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Social equity programs are failing to help victims of the drug war
In many cases, the parties benefiting from social equity programs are wealthy, connected political insiders and large commercial cannabis companies.
