An effort to ban the sale of kratom has cleared its first hurdle. The Senate’s Judiciary C Committee approved Monroe Senator Jay Morris’s bill that would make it a crime to possess and distribute Kratom, which acts like a stimulant in low does and as a sedative in high doses…

Cut 4 (12) “….individuals”

Doctors say you can get addicted to kratom and it can lead to psychotic symptoms. But several people testified against the legislation, including Wednesday ForestBear, who uses kratom to manage pain as she suffers from a spinal disorder that causes excruciating pain…

Cut 6 (06) “…regulate”

There are bills filed in this regular session that seek to regulations on kratom, which is not approved for medical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The measure heads to the full senate for more discussion.

A Louisiana death row inmate’s conviction was thrown out last week because a judge in Ouachita Parish has determined Jimmie Duncan’s conviction was based on junk science. Duncan is accused of killing his girlfriend’s 23-month old daughter. A bite mark was the key evidence in Duncan’s conviction. Richard Webster has examined the case as part of a ProPublica investigation and says new evidence led to Ouachita Parish Judge Alvin Sharp reconsidering the conviction…

Cut 9 (18) “…to drown”

Duncan remains behind bars and it will be up to the Ouachita Parish District Attorney to re-try him.

The second ranked LSU baseball team defeated Southeastern Louisiana 15 to 2 last night in seven innings. Northwestern State defeated ULM nine to eight.