Catching up on recent writing, most notably I have a new book out! The New Prohibition: The Dangerous Politics of Tobacco Control collects many of my articles and essays from the past few years:

WARNING: Prohibition kills. Government prohibition of nicotine and tobacco products is hazardous to public health. Prohibitions are often poorly targeted, encouraging smoking by banning safer alternatives and protecting deadly cigarettes from competition. Prohibition creates illicit markets that lead to unregulated and untaxed products, raids and arrests by law enforcement officers, and incarceration of sellers.

We are poised at the edge of a new era of nicotine and tobacco prohibition, one that has failed to learn from past policy failures involving drugs and alcohol. This collection of essays explores how illiberal policies, from unjustifiably extensive smoking bans to laws forbidding the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, lead to dangerous unintended consequences. Fortunately, the aim of saving lives lost to smoking is compatible with a more humane approach to nicotine and tobacco use. The New Prohibition charts a smarter way forward that encourages harm reduction and respects the rights of consenting adults.

With a new introduction by the author, The New Prohibition collects essays previously published in Reason, Slate, Arc Digital, Liberal Currents, and Exponents.

The book is available exclusively on Amazon.

In other book news, I’m still enjoying reviewing books for the Examiner. Lately I’ve covered the new memoir from Lucinda Williams, Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi’s excellent exploration of libertarianism, and a very fun novel from Penn Jillette.

On tobacco policy, I wrote about how badly flavor prohibition is going in the state of Massachusetts and how it’s putting a local immigrant’s hookah shop out of business here in Portland. I also went on a bit of a rant against the FDA’s ineffectual Center for Tobacco Products.

On the lifestyle side of things, for Inside Hook I’ve written about the Chartreuse shortage, the economics of extremely old whiskies, and what’s new in aquavit. Finally, for Slate I gave some tips on making beer cocktails.