Free Republic

Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved legislation that would end the ability of people under 21 years of age to work in adult entertainment establishments. DeSantis signed the measure (HB 7063) in Coral Gables. That legislation was amended to lift the age limit for performers and other employees of adult establishments from 18 to 21 by absorbing another bill (SB 796). DeSantis said this legislation was part of ongoing efforts to “combat human trafficking,” contending the problem has gotten worse in recent years due to “Mexican cartels” benefiting from the “open” border.

Florida lawmakers advanced a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit social media platforms from allowing young teens to have an account while requiring everyone else to verify their age. The measure prohibits anyone under 16 from creating a new social media account and requires platforms to delete existing accounts held by minors who are younger than 16. It also would require social media companies to delete any personal information from the accounts and for the platforms to use a “nongovernmental, independent, third-party not affiliated with the social media platform” to verify users’ age. The bill passed the Florida house with...

--snip-- Some eager, inexperienced consumers have overindulged on the pot-infused food and then shown up in emergency rooms sweating and paranoid. Edibles were linked to the death of a Wyoming college student in Denver. "There's been anecdotal evidence that some of the new consumers in the legalized market were not very well informed in terms of how to safely take that product," said Lewis Koski, Colorado's marijuana enforcement director.

Anonymous comments, even positive ones, damage trust in the news media. Despite their ubiquity on news sites around the Internet, a movement against anonymous comments sections has slowly gathered steam over the past few years. The first call to action came in 2010 when the American Journalism Review said, “It is time for news sites to stop allowing anonymous online comments.” Since that bold declaration, a wide variety of media outlets, including ESPN, the Huffington Post, Popular Science, Sporting News and USA Today have either banned anonymous posts on their sites or eliminated comments sections altogether. In August 2013, the...

<p>MIAMI - The Justice Department ordered Rx Depot to close up shop, as the Bush administration moved to shut down a chain of Internet stores that promise cheaper drugs from Canada.</p> <p>In a letter yesterday to Rx Depot's President Carl Moore that was obtained by The Associated Press, the Justice Department said it would sue Moore unless he agrees by tomorrow to shut down the company's 85 storefronts.</p>

WASHINGTON -- Advocacy groups called Tuesday for a ban on young children riding all-terrain vehicles, saying a surge in deaths and injuries show the industry's efforts to enforce safety rules have failed. Representatives from consumer, children's and environmental groups cited statistics showing injuries to ATV riders under 16 have nearly doubled in the last eight years. "Self-regulation by the ATV industry has led to larger and faster ATVs and more children being killed and injured," said Rachel Weintraub, assistant general counsel to the Consumer Federation of America. ATVs are motorized machines that can traverse off-road terrain. While popular for recreation,...