State Highlights: Activist Who Helped Spark Calif.’s Medical Marijuana Movement Dies; Ga. Lawmaker Takes On Distracted Driving

Reuters: Dennis Peron, Father Of Medical Marijuana In California, Dies At 72
Dennis Peron, the cannabis activist who fired up the movement to legalize medical marijuana in California, died on Saturday in a San Francisco hospital. He was 72. Also a prominent figure in San Francisco's gay community, he was credited as a pioneer in recognizing the health benefits of pot during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. "A man that changed the world," was how his brother Jeffrey Peron remembered him on Facebook. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my brother Dennis Peron." (Goldberg, 1/28)

Georgia Health News: Careless Callers: Lawmaker Wants To Get Tougher On Distracted Driving
Distractions during driving include texting and talking on cellphones, eating and drinking, talking to passengers, changing music on the radio and even grooming, experts say. And while some forms of distracted driving may involve only brief and occasional behavior, many drivers use their mobile devices habitually, almost constantly. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says distraction plays a role in nearly six out of 10 teen crashes, four times as many as official estimates based on police reports. (Miller, 1/26)

The Baltimore Sun: Hopkins And MedStar Patients Can Now See Medical Records On IPhone App 
Patients from Johns Hopkins Medicine and MedStar Health are among those who can now see their medical records in one place on their iPhones because of an upgrade Apple made to its Health app. Apple announced the upgrade Friday. The upgrade means iPhone users will no longer have to log on to the websites of several doctors or hospitals to view their medical information. They can also opt to receive notifications when their information is updated. The sensitive data will be encrypted and protected with iPhone passwords. (McDaniels, 1/26)

Chicago Sun Times: Chicago High Schoolers Smoking Less, New Health Department Report Says 
A record low 6 percent of Chicago high schoolers reported smoking cigarettes in 2017, the city announced Monday. This rate is down from 13.6 percent in 2011, according to findings from a new report by the Chicago Department of Public Health. The drop in teen smoking comes after Chicago raised the minimum age of buying tobacco products from 18 to 21 in 2016. (Whitehair, 1/29)

The Star Tribune: Orono Senior Home Cited In Death Of Woman Found 10 Hours After Fall
An Orono senior home has been cited for neglect after a resident fell and was left on the floor of her room for nearly 10 hours, and later died. A state Health Department investigation found that several employees at the Trails of Orono, an assisted-living facility, failed to respond to an activated bed alarm, and also failed to make regular checks on the resident on the night of her fall in August of last year. (Serres, 1/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Marijuana Purveyors Go Mainstream, Except For The Sacks Of Cash
Industry leaders estimate that 70 percent of the more than 1,600 recreational and medical dispensaries in the state are still dealing in cash. ...The Wild West situation stems from marijuana remaining illegal under federal law, which prompts banks that might open accounts and extend loans to fear money-laundering charges. (Fimrite, 1/28)

Arizona Republic: How Arizona's 'Non-Profit' Medical Marijuana Industry Makes Millions
Profitability in the pot industry has attracted attention from federal prosecutors as recently as 2012 in California, but even with a renewed focus on marijuana from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Arizona operators see little risk in their profits. Only the Department of Health Services knows how much any of the state’s 130 licensed dispensaries earns, but the Medical Marijuana Act that voters approved states that all dispensaries must run as "non-profits." (Randazzo, 1/26)