A Cultural Shift In Southeast Could Come From Medical Marijuana

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Launch of Medical Marijuana in Mississippi Could Bring 'Cultural Change in the Southeast'
The future of Mississippi’s medical marijuana program stood at a standstill for months as a court and a legislative battle played out. But now many entrepreneurs including Steve Merritt, the chief operating officer of Southern Sky Brands, say they hope the creation of a new and potentially thriving industry in the state is imminent. In November 2020, 74% of Mississippians voted in favor of Initiative 65, a more expansive version of the current program. But the vote was overturned last May by the state supreme court, which said the state's ballot initiative process was invalid and had to be rectified through the legislative process. Then state lawmakers had to craft the framework of the program, delaying its launch for months. Gov. Tate Reeves signed the program into law on Feb. 2, but businesses, patients and medical practitioners can't apply for licenses until June. (Clark, 2/22)

Health News Florida: Administrative Law Judge Weighs Penalties Against A Tallahassee Marijuana Physician 
State health officials are asking an administrative law judge to permanently ban a Tallahassee physician from ordering medical marijuana for patients, suspend his medical license for five years and impose a $10,000 fine, after an investigation that included undercover agents posing as patients. The Department of Health’s proposed penalties against physician Joseph Dorn – who has practiced in Florida for more than three decades – date back to a 2019 complaint alleging that the physician violated state law by failing to conduct physical examinations of “Patient O.G.” and “Patient B.D.” The complaint also accused Dorn of employing a “trick or scheme” in the practice of medicine. (Kam, 2/22)

In HIV news —

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Program To Help HIV Patients Pay For Medication Still Hampered Months After Health Department Cyberattack 
A liver transplant recipient who’s HIV positive, Morris Murray checks each month for confirmation that his insurance premiums are paid. Any interruption in care could jeopardize his health. So when the state program helping people like him pay for HIV medications and insurance was shut down by the Dec. 4 cyberattack at the Maryland Department of Health, he waited and worried. (Cohn, 2/23)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Free Testing For HIV And Hep C Available In Claremont 
Granite Staters in the Claremont area can get free testing for HIV and hepatitis C on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at the TLC Family Resource Center. Appointments and insurance are not required to get tested at the event, which runs from 4 to 6 pm. Gail Moeller, TLC Center's assistant program manager, says testing takes about 20 minutes. People who get tested at the event can get connected with the next steps to get treatment for any positive results. It’s important for Granite Staters to know their status, the earlier the better, she said. (Hoplamazian, 2/22)

Other news from across the states —

North Carolina Health News: NC Experts Explain How Safe Smoking Kits Reduce Harm From Drug Use 
In December, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced something that could change many lives: for the first time ever, the agency planned to distribute $30 million in grants to fund harm reduction services nationwide. Harm reduction practices aim to reduce some of the negative impacts of drug use. The theory goes that by providing people who use substances with certain things, they can use drugs more safely, and hopefully, stay alive. (Donnelly-DeRoven, 2/23)

Anchorage Daily News: Girdwood’s Fluoridation System Has Been Offline For Months And Won’t Be Fixed Until 2024, Water Utility Says
Anchorage’s water utility didn’t notify the Girdwood Board of Supervisors over the last year “because we believed the situation would be temporary,” a spokeswoman for the utility said. Goodykoontz, 2/23)

Bloomberg: NYC Begins Plan To Move Homeless From Subway As Crime Surges
New York City began its push to remove subway riders using the transit system for shelter, part of a strategy to reduce crime and restore confidence in the nation’s largest public transportation network. Teams from the departments of homeless services and of health and mental hygiene went out early Tuesday to talk with riders who lacked housing and help them find shelter, Jason Wilcox, the New York City Police Department’s transit chief, said during  Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee hearings on Tuesday. The outreach “went fairly seamlessly,” according to Wilcox, who didn’t say how many individuals have been removed. (Kaske, 2/22)

AP: California Proposal Would Require School COVID Testing Plans
Proposed legislation in California would require all K-12 public schools to develop COVID-19 testing plans for students and staff and the funding for schools to do it, Sen. Richard Pan said in announcing it Tuesday. “It’s really important that schools know what’s going on in their school sites when it comes to COVID,” said Pan, a pediatrician. “COVID testing allows schools to identify positive cases and then quarantine those who are sick, helping to reduce the spread of the virus.” The legislation would also apply to pre-schools, childcare centers and afterschool programs. (2/22)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Supreme Court To Rule On COVID Insurance Claims By Wakonda Club
Two cases before the Iowa Supreme Court could decide whether Iowa restauranteurs are in line for millions of dollars to compensate them for business lost in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawyers for the Wakonda Club, the landmark Des Moines golf course and country club, claimed in oral arguments Monday that the club's insurer should cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in income lost during a state-ordered closure in spring 2020. (Morris, 2/22)