---
title: "Licensure laws are not just infringements on the right to work, they…"
date: 2020-03-06
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
---

# Licensure laws are not just infringements on the right to work, they…

*March 6, 2020 · Facebook*

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[https://reason.com/2020/03/06/a-mississippi-woman-gave-diet-advice-without-a-license-the-state-threatened-to-throw-her-in-jail/](https://reason.com/2020/03/06/a-mississippi-woman-gave-diet-advice-without-a-license-the-state-threatened-to-throw-her-in-jail/){target="_blank"}
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Licensure laws are not just infringements on the right to work, they violate freedom of speech.\
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\"Mississippi Department of Health officials threatened to turn Donna Harris\' eight-week weight loss challenge into six months behind bars, but now the state stands accused of putting the First Amendment on a diet.\
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Harris, a personal trainer and fitness expert, has run a Facebook page since 2018 dedicated to encouraging healthy eating habits. Earlier this year, she launched a small side business, offering one-on-one diet coaching and weight loss tips to anyone willing to pay \$99 to participate in an eight-week contest where participants could compete to shed the most pounds. Before it could even start, however, the state government shut it down.\
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On January 22, Harris received a cease-and-desist letter from the Mississippi Department of Health. Talking about healthy eating on Facebook and getting paid to do it, the department said, could trigger a \$1,000 fine and up to six months in jail. In the eyes of the state, Harris was an unlicensed dietician---and apparently enough of a threat to public safety that she might need to be put behind bars.\"\
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[https://reason.com/2020/03/06/a-mississippi-woman-gave-diet-advice-without-a-license-the-state-threatened-to-throw-her-in-jail/](https://reason.com/2020/03/06/a-mississippi-woman-gave-diet-advice-without-a-license-the-state-threatened-to-throw-her-in-jail/){target="_blank"}
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