Lab Group Warns That Michigan’s Pot Is Moldy
In other news from across the U.S., California will get broader warnings for bisphenol A; the Justice Department probes Alaska's institutionalizing of children; and a doctor murders another doctor and himself in Austin.
Detroit Free Press:
Michigan Marijuana May Be Contaminated With Mold, New Report Shows
Marijuana for sale in Michigan is contaminated with mold and yeast, a group of cannabis testing labs is warning. Moreover, the state is no longer allowing a specific marijuana testing method. But the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association said Wednesday it disagrees with the lab group's findings, saying the state's move to pause one of the methods to test for contaminants was made "out of an abundance of caution," but "there's no evidence" the pot is actually tainted. "From our perspective, there has not been any indication there is contaminated product in the system," said Robin Schneider, the association's executive director. The issue, she added, is an "ongoing scientific debate" and not a public safety matter. (Witsil, 1/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Supreme Court Allows Broader Warning Labels For Bisphenol A
California will broaden its warning labels for bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in plastic cups and other food and drink containers, after the state Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the chemical industry Wednesday. Since 2015, the state has required labels on products containing bisphenol A stating that it can cause reproductive harm in women. The court order upholds state health officials’ decision to require additional warnings of “developmental toxicity,” or harm to fetuses and newborn and young children whose mothers are exposed to the chemical during pregnancy. (Egelko, 1/27)
Anchorage Daily News:
Justice Department Opens Civil Rights Probe Into Alaska's Institutionalizes’ Children
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether the state of Alaska “unnecessarily institutionalizes” children with behavioral problems. In 2020, the Alaska Disability Law Center lodged a complaint about the rising number of Alaska children and teenagers being sent to Outside psychiatric treatment facilities as well as locked hospitals in-state because of a dearth of less-restrictive treatment options here, said the center’s attorney, Leslie Jaehning. On Jan. 21, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division notified the organization that it has launched an investigation. (Theriault Boots, 1/28)
The Washington Post:
Terminally Ill Doctor Killed Pediatrician And Himself After Hours-Long Hostage Standoff In Austin, Police Say
A terminally ill doctor carrying “numerous” guns held an Austin medical office hostage for hours on Tuesday before fatally shooting a local physician and himself, police said, shaking the Texas capital city and leaving investigators hunting for a possible motive. Following a standoff that lasted more than six hours, officers entered the Children’s Medical Group building in central Austin on Tuesday night and found the suspect, Bharat Narumanchi, a 43-year-old pediatrician from southern California, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. Nearby, officers said they found Katherine Dodson, also 43 and a pediatrician. She, too, had been fatally shot, police said. (Salcedo and Hawkins, 1/27)
In Medicaid updates from Oklahoma and Arkansas —
Oklahoman:
Despite Opposition, Health Care Authority Moves Forward With $2B Plan To Privatize Medicaid
A split Oklahoma Health Care Authority board on Tuesday signed off on plans for the agency to spend up to $2.2 billion to privatize the state’s Medicaid program. After a lengthy debate where efforts to table the controversial agenda items failed, the board did not approve specific contracts with for-profit companies to manage the program’s spending, but gave the agency approval to move forward with overhauling Medicaid. At Gov. Kevin Stitt's behest, the Health Care Authority is seeking to contract with outside entities to manage medical care for roughly 700,000 of Oklahoma’s Medicaid recipients through what is often referred to as a managed-care model. (Forman, 1/27)
Arkansasonline.com:
18 States Back Arkansas On Medicaid Work Rule
Arkansas should be able to set work requirements for some of its Medicaid recipients, 18 states told the U.S. Supreme Court this week. The granting of federal waivers, which allowed these "demonstration projects" to proceed, was not "arbitrary and capricious," they said. Seventeen states signed an amicus curiae -- or friend of the court -- brief arguing that a lower court's ruling is "flatly inconsistent with historical and current practice" and could lead to "potentially disastrous consequences." The Supreme Court announced in December that it would hear appeals involving the Arkansas and New Hampshire work requirements; both had been struck down by lower courts. (Lockwood and Wickline, 1/28)
