Medical marijuana in Louisiana may come a step closer to fruition this week, as State Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks, presents his legislation Wednesday morning before the House Health and Welfare Committee on which he once served.

“I’m hoping for a repeat performance from the Senate,” said Mills, who practiced pharmacy for 15 years and once headed the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy. Mills’ Senate Bill 143 cleared the full Senate 22-13.

This year marks the second consecutive session in which Mills has attempted to persuade state lawmakers to back medical marijuana legislation. In 2014, the bill did not clear the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

Changes have been made

BOSTON — Medical marijuana advocates are bristling at a report that suggests pot dispensaries will contribute to the deadly opioid crisis.

A report by the Massachusetts Health Council released last week recommends ways to fight opioid abuse including enforcement of a prescription monitoring program; releasing updated, community-level data on fatal and non-fatal overdoses; and expanding treatment options.

More than 1,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses in Massachusetts last year, according to state health officials.

But the report also calls for tightened rules on medical marijuana dispensaries and a ban on edible cannabis products. It suggests that pot dispensaries, similar to pain clinics that dole out addictive drugs, will contribute to the epidemic.

Merle Chambers, holding sign, says medical pot plant in Whonnock is the wrong place.

The question Liisa Cormode wants answered is why, when Tantalus Labs was looking for a spot for its medical marijuana operation, the city would have put Whonnock on the list of possible locations.

“Why did somebody from the municipality recommend this site given the water issues here?”

She was referring to statements made by Dan Sutton, of Tantalus Labs earlier that Maple Ridge staff had presented the company with a half dozen locations, one of which Tantalus chose as its site for a greenhouse operation to grow medical marijuana.

It's not surprising that many African Americans are leery about cashing in on the legal cannabis industry. Numerous reports show that the black community continues to pay a high price for it in the criminal justice system even where marijuana is legal.

The governing council of the Rural Municipality of Wilton has an interesting proposal on their plate, following a public hearing that was held by the council on Thursday.

The topic of the hearing was an application by representatives of Agro Greens Natural Products Ltd, who are seeking the approval of a development application for a medical marijuana facility.

According to Glen Dow, reeve of the RM, the owners of the business approached council six months earlier, and asked about the council’s possible reaction to the business proposal.

“They stopped in and said ‘we’re considering this, does council have any absolute prohibitions to say get out of here, don’t ever come back?’”

“Council said no,” said Dow.

Time is quickly running out for those looking to get their medical marijuana licenses.

Getting a medical marijuana license is going to be very competitive since only five will be approved.

Each of the five applicants will be limited to four dispensaries each.

Dispensaries must be located in multiple counties across the state, but it comes with several more challenges. Even if a business is approved and licensed, it will have to find a location and get local approval before building the facility.

Etain is just one of the many companies who is looking to grow in Chester, but wants to dispense in Queensbury, and now, Albany could be next on their list.

LANSING, MI (AP) – Organizers of a marijuana legalization drive in Michigan are poised to clear a procedural step.

The Michigan Cannabis Coalition is expected to receive word from state election officials Tuesday on whether the form of its petition is OK.

The initiated legislation would require 252,000 valid voter signatures before going to the Republican-led Legislature. If lawmakers rejected the bill or took no action, it would receive a statewide vote in November 2016.

The initiative is being supported by anonymous people from the agricultural, real estate, insurance and education sectors. The group says Michigan could add jobs and tax revenue by legalizing and regulating marijuana for recreational purposes.

San Francisco's Sidecar company is offering its clientele a new service — the delivery of medical marijuana to customers' doors an hour after it is ordered.

The ride-hailing startup has partnered with Meadow, an on-demand marijuana delivery company, to provide the service, providing customers have a medical marijuana card prescribing cannabis use from their doctors. Only marijuana for medical purposes is legal in the state of California.

Then came the suicides. Brandon Murphree had just graduated from the only highschool in town, earning a full-ride scholarship to Jacksonville State University, right up the road. Murphree was handsome and popular. College was going to be a party.

But the party started early, then went sour. A few weeks after Murphree graduated, his parents started finding empty packets of Spice, or synthetic marijuana, scattered around the house. At the same time, their son began acting erratically. Normally happy and polite, he was suddenly sullen and rude. But the bizarre mood swings were only the beginning of the Murphrees’ midsummer nightmare.