Michael Marlow (economist)

Michael L. Marlow is a professor of economics at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). He is also an affiliated senior scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.[1] He holds a BA from George Washington University and a PhD from Virginia Tech, both in economics.[2] He joined the California Polytechnic State University faculty in 1988 and was named a University Distinguished Scholar by the university in 2007.[3] Prior to joining Cal Poly, he was an associate professor of economics at George Washington University from 1979 to 1983,[4] and also worked as a senior financial economist at the U.S. Treasury from 1983 to 1988.[5] He is known for opposing government regulation of e-cigarettes[6] and of unhealthy foods and beverages.[7][8] He has also argued that alcohol taxes primarily reduce consumption by light drinkers, not by heavy drinkers,[9] and has criticized Proposition 65 for being ineffective with respect to public health benefits.[10][11] His research into the effects of smoking laws[12] has been criticized for being funded by Philip Morris, and for methodological flaws.[13]