The 2015 Louisiana Survey finds that state residents support the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, but not personal use. Eric Gill has more…
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Five major health advocacy groups are coming together to push for a higher cigarette tax in Louisiana. Scott Carwile has the story…
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A high school in Monroe which previously told a gay female student that she was not allowed to wear a tuxedo to prom has now retracted. Michelle Southern reports.
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The 2015 Louisiana Survey finds that state residents support the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, but not personal use. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says 52-percent of residents oppose the personal use of marijuana, but the difference between support and opposition is shrinking…
68-percent of 18 to 29 year olds support legalizing marijuana for personal use while 68-percent of residents 65 and older oppose it. A majority of residents still support the legalization of marijuana for medical use, but support declined from 79- to 60-percent since last year. Henderson says last year’s Senate race may have been a factor in the drop of support…
Even if marijuana remains illegal in Louisiana, 67-percent of the public feel that people convicted of possessing small amounts of pot should not serve jail time. Henderson says that number jumps to 79-percent when respondents were informed of the costs of incarceration…
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Five major health advocacy groups are teaming up to launch a campaign in support of a bill to raise the state’s tax on cigarettes by $1.18 a pack. The American Heart Association is part of the “Invest in a Healthy Louisiana” campaign and its spokesperson Stasha Rhodes says it’s time to bring the state’s tax on cigarettes to the national average, which is a $1.54 a pack…
Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie is sponsoring a bill to raise the state’s cigarette tax to the national average. Ritchie says he’s not the only lawmaker to file legislation to raise tobacco taxes, which gives him hope something will get done
Ritchie says a higher cigarette tax can reduce the number of deaths associated with smoking and help generate millions of dollars. But Governor Jindal is calling for tax cuts to offset any tax increase. Ritchie says he’s willing to work with the governor
Cut 9 (09) “combination of things”
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The Department of Health and Hospitals has cut the ribbon on a new public health laboratory that will be used to test water, screen for genetic disorders and help the state respond to public health threats such as Ebola. DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert says this is a ultra modern lab with all of the latest technology…:
Kliebert says the new lab site allows the state to better identify food outbreaks, test infectious disease samples and any number of other public health concerns. She says every single child that is born in Louisiana will have blood sent to the lab…:
cut 11 (09) “before it affects them”
Kliebert says the goal of the Office of Public Health Laboratory is to protect the health and safety of Louisiana residents by providing accurate and timely data to state officials, public health program and citizens..:
cut 12 (12) “and laboratories”
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A high school in Monroe which previously told a gay female student that she was not allowed to wear a tuxedo to prom has now retracted. Carroll High School and Claudetteia Love’s story got national attention. The student was represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Executive Director Kate Kendell says they are happy about this outcome.:
Kendell says the school’s original decision to not allow the 17-year-old to wear the tux is not only a violation of law which prohibits sex discrimination, it’s also wrongheaded…:
Kendell says forbidding girls from wearing a tuxedo to the prom would have served no purpose other than to reinforce the worst sorts of harmful stereotypes and censor a core part of Love’s identity…:
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Louisiana education superintendent John White tells lawmakers he needs more money so the state can provide standardized tests next school year. White says the budget as it currently exists will prevent students from taking the A-C-T or an assessment test like PARCC
White and Governor Jindal have battled over the tests tied to Common Core. The Jindal administration has said the superintendent will have to decide what to cut from his budget. White says Louisiana will violate state and federal law if it doesn’t have a standardized test
Cut 17 (10) “education system”