Spence Purnell
Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation
Spence Purnell is a policy analyst at the Reason Foundation, where he works on pension reform, Florida policy issues and economic development.
Prior to joining Reason, Spence worked as director of business development at Florida startup Dealers United and as an analyst for the state of Florida's Executive Office of the Governor (Florida Gubernatorial Fellowship).
Spence graduated from Stetson University with a bachelors degree in political science and is working on an MPA at Florida State, where his research has focused on database infrastructure and analytics, economic development, and policy evaluation methods.
Purnell is based in Florida.
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It Is Time to Stop Drug Testing Parolees and Probationers for Marijuana
Drug testing for marijuana does not serve public safety, imposes economic costs, and unnecessarily restricts civil liberties.
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Capitalization Requirements for Marijuana Businesses Are Unjust and Counterproductive
States with legalized marijuana should let business owners experiment with all different kinds of models and let the market decide which ones are worthy of surviving.
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Why States With Legalized Marijuana Should Allow Marijuana Lounges
There is an increasing need and consumer demand for lounges where marijuana products can be consumed.
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Florida Needs to Take Back Control, Approve More Cell Phone Providers for Lifeline Program
Outsourcing the approval process to the federal government has been a failure.
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State and Local Governments Should Mimic the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act
The new law requires federal agencies to publish data online in machine-readable data formats.
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Medical Marijuana Patients Are Being Denied Gun Rights
The absurdity of ATF's rules denying medical cannabis card holders the right to purchase guns, and what states can do about it.
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Don’t Let CalPERS’ CEO Scandal Divert Attention From the System’s Accomplishments
The largest pension fund in the country is facing a scandal over apparently false claims its CEO made on her employment application.
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Worries About Deficits Go Out the Window
Politicians have stopped talking about the federal government's fiscal predicament even though it is getting worse under the Trump administration and Republican Congress.
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Gambling With Taxpayer Money and Losing: Florida’s Business Incentives Program
Incentive programs fail because they do not account for the fact that the firms are highly volatile and prone to failure.