Mississippi Legalizes Medical Marijuana

NPR: Mississippi Is 37th State To Legalize Medical Marijuana
Mississippi is legalizing medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions such as cancer, AIDS and sickle cell disease. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the legislation Wednesday and it became law immediately. It could be months before the first marijuana dispensaries open. "There is no doubt that there are individuals in our state who could do significantly better if they had access to medically prescribed doses of cannabis," Reeves wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. "There are also those who really want a recreational marijuana program that could lead to more people smoking and less people working, with all the societal and family ills that that brings." (2/2)

In news about abortion in Tennessee, Ohio and Florida —

AP: Appeals Court Restores Tennessee Down Syndrome Abortion Ban 
A federal appeals court on Wednesday once again reinstated a Tennessee ban on abortions because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, or because of the race or gender of the fetus. The ban is part of a sweeping anti-abortion measure that has faced multiple legal challenges since it was enacted in 2020 by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Notably, the law banned abortion as early as six weeks — a time frame when most women don’t know they’re pregnant — but that portion has remained blocked from going into effect. (Kruesi, 2/2)

NBC News: Ohio Judge Again Blocks Law Requiring Cremation Or Burial Of Fetal Remains
An Ohio judge this week blocked enforcement of a state law that would require the cremation or burial of fetal remains from surgical abortions, marking the second time in the past year the judge has halted its implementation. Hamilton County Judge Alison Hatheway said in an order dated Monday that the law is on hold until she issues a final judgment in the case. Before the order, abortion providers were expected to comply with the law by Feb. 8. (Fulton, 2/2)

WUSF 89.7: A 15-Week Abortion Ban Is Set For Its First Hearing In The Florida Senate
State senators on Wednesday will begin considering a proposal to ban some abortions in Florida. A similar bill in the House has already advanced through two hearings. The measure, filed by Republican Senator Kelli Stargel of Lakeland, is on the Senate Health Policy Committee's agenda. It states that a doctor may not terminate a pregnancy after 15 weeks. The proposal mirrors a Mississippi abortion law under review by the U.S Supreme Court. Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University, says Florida voters are generally more liberal on reproductive rights than those in neighboring states like Georgia and Alabama. (Carter, 2/2)

In other news from across the U.S. —

Wyoming Public Radio: National Blood Shortage Also Felt In Wyoming 
The nation is experiencing a blood shortage. Companies that collect blood in Wyoming are also desperate for more donors. Vitalant is a non-profit that collects and provides blood to most of the hospitals in the state. The company's communication manager Tori Robbins, said the blood shortage has been going on for a couple of weeks. That means they have less than four days worth of blood on hand of each blood type. "That means that we are not supplying or we're in danger of not supplying the hospitals with those life saving units that they need," said Robbins. 90 percent of the blood usage is used for planned medical events while the other ten is used for emergencies. (Kudelska, 2/2)

The Texas Tribune: Leader Of Texas State Bone Marrow Registry Program Under Investigation
For over a decade, Texas State University students across the San Marcos campus — and at public universities across South Texas — have urged schoolmates to help cancer patients by joining the national bone marrow registry. After a quick cheek swab, a student’s name and tissue profile are entered into a national database. That directory is used by patients diagnosed with blood cancers, including leukemia, who are in desperate need of a bone marrow match. So far, Texas State’s Cancer Advocacy Movement for Colleges and Outreach, or CAMCO, has registered 20,000 students on campus as potential bone marrow donors. The campus group is housed in the radiation therapy program and led by the program chair, Reynaldo Lozano. (McGee, 2/2)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas To Consider New Rule Allowing Mental Health Leave For Firefighters, Paramedics
Dallas officials will consider creating a new policy that would allow city firefighters and paramedics who experience a traumatic event while on duty to take paid time off for mental health reasons. Council members plan to discuss the possibility of a new mental health leave policy during a Feb. 14 public safety committee meeting. The proposal came from Mayor Eric Johnson, citing city rules that cover up to five days of paid mental health leave only for police officers. A new state law went into effect in September requiring law enforcement agencies to create mental health leave policies for officers impacted by an on-duty traumatic incident. (Bailey Jr., 2/2)

AP: House Panel OKs Death Penalty Ban For Some Mental Illnesses
A Kentucky House committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would ban the application of the death penalty for some people diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. The measure easily cleared the House Judiciary Committee, moving on to the full House. The bill represents the latest effort to chip away at the death penalty in Kentucky. (Schreiner, 2/3)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Amid Pandemic, Critics Knock State Funding For Public Health
Georgia’s public health commissioner told state legislators they had addressed a critical problem in the fight against the coronavirus: pay so low that state epidemiologists were leaving for jobs at places like school systems and even fast food chains. But there was only one problem, Dr. Kathleen Toomey conceded. A proposed $5,000 across-the-board raise would amount to less than a third of what was needed to pay these key employees the market rate. (Hart, 2/3)

The Boston Globe: Attorney General Subpoenas RIPTA, UnitedHealthcare Over Data Breach
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha’s office has issued administrative subpoenas to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority and UnitedHealthcare over a data breach that compromised the personal information of 22,000 people. The subpoenas, or civil investigative demand letters, say the attorney general’s office was notified on Dec. 23 of a “significant information security breach,” which had first been detected on Aug. 5. And “subsequent information” led the office to conclude “that one or more entities may have departed from industry standard information safeguards in relation to this breach,” and “in contravention of their notices of privacy practices,” the letters say. (Fitzpatrick, 2/2)