Patients are complaining the cost of legal medical cannabis puts it’s out of their reach. Is it time to further expand medical marijuana laws? Kevin Gallagher reports…:
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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A study finds that hurricanes in 2020 and 2021 caused 579-million dollars in damages to the Louisiana fishing industry. Michelle Southern has the story…
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Michelle Southern”
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A new study from LSU and the University of Florida compared shark attacks and moon phases and they found a trend. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Now that medical marijuana is available in a smokable form, some are complaining of the high price. One of the state’s 9 cannabis pharmacies is asking between $440 and $480 per ounce for the herb. Gretna Representative Joe Marino chairs the state’s Medical Marijuana Commission, and says the high price is due to the limited supply from only two growing operations…:
Cut 4 (11) “…to be the intent.”
When first approved in 2015, only two cultivators were allowed, with a maximum of 10 “pharmacies”. There are currently nine. Marino says lawmakers clearly did not foresee expanding to allow smokable weed under medical cannabis when they first passed the law. Demand is heavy, but the high cost is a deterrent. Marino says having a cannabis monopoly in place puts the medicine out of the average person’s reach…:
Cut 5 (13) “…where it can be sold?”
Medical cannabis is rarely covered by health insurance.
Neighbor states with medical cannabis have anywhere from 8 to a dozen cultivators allowed, compared to Louisiana’s two, and their average prices are lower. Marino’s Medical Marijuana Commission will meet during the upcoming Redistricting Session, to discuss supply, demand, and patient concerns. He asks – if one regards medical cannabis as “medicine” – what other medicine does the state limit the number of companies that can produce it and where it can be obtained?
Cut 6 (07) “…expand this program.”
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the hurricanes in 2020 and 2021 produced 579-million dollars in damages to the state’s fishing industry. LDWF biologist administrator Jason Froeba says a comprehensive study looked at monetary losses for infrastructure which includes vessels and revenue…
Cut 7 (07) “…that nature.”
The total amount of damages from the hurricanes to infrastructure was 304-million. Froeba says Hurricane Ida accounted for 70-percent of that 304-million…
Cut 8 (10) “…fishing industry members.”
Froeba says wind was the primary driver for the damages to the fishing industry from the 2020 and 2021 hurricanes, while flooding was a major source of destruction in 2005. He says this report could convince Congress that the state’s fishing industry needs federal assistance…
Cut 9 (09) “…Louisiana’s fisheries.”
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Louisiana is expected to pass the one-million mark in total COVID cases this week. Many are hoping the peak of the Omicron surge is near. Children younger than 18 represent 27-percent of all COVID cases reported on Friday and State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says that’s a possible sign the peak could be near
Cut 10 (11) “…prior surges.”
Kanter says based on what they’ve seen in other parts of the world, Omicron rages and then fades away almost as fast as it arrived…
Cut 11 (12) “…right now.”
Kanter wishes he can provide an answer on when the Omicron peak will arrive, but there’s no good modeling to predict this…
Cut 12 (10) “…I’ve seen.”
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The next time you want to impress your friends during Shark Week you can tell them that shark attacks are related to lunar phases. New research from LSU and the University of Florida compared attacks with the lunar phases and LSU Associate Professor Steve Midway says there appears to be a connection.
Cut 13 (10) “…closer to the new moon.”
Midway says even though very few shark attacks occur in US waters they wanted to gain a better understanding of why and when they happen. Midway says the moon’s influence on attacks is not from illumination because the vast majority of incidents take place during the day.
Cut 14 (08) “…magnetic fields.”
And while it’s still too early to determine if the moon is the predominant influencer of shark attacks, Midway says he still advises against swimming in shark-infested waters no matter what lunar phase.
Cut 15 (12) “…to shark attacks.”
You can read the entire paper in the journal, Frontiers in Marine Science
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The NFL playoffs continue tonight with one more wild card game as the Rams host the Cardinals. Former LSU Tiger Odell Beckham Junior will be playing in his second playoff game and his first season since the 2016 season with the Giants…
Cut 16 (16) “…good feeling”
The Bengals won their first playoff game in 31 years as Cincinnati held off the Raiders 26-19. Quarterback Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes in the win…
Cut 17 (13) “ .next one”
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The LSU men’s basketball team will likely drop in the polls today after suffering an upset loss to unranked Arkansas on Saturday. The Razorbacks went on a 17-2 run to finish the game and defeated the 12th ranked Tigers 65-58. LSU Coach Will Wade says the Hogs made the plays down the stretch and they didn’t…
Cut 18 (08) “ ..needed to be”
Eric Gaines had 14 points to lead LSU, while Tari Eason and Alex Fudge each had 13 points. It was the second straight game LSU played without starting point guard Xavier Pinson, who has a sprained knee. Wade will not use Pinson’s injury as an excuse…
Cut 19 (25)_“…nice job”
The loss ended LSU’s three-game winning streak. Wade says they couldn’t overcome their weaknesses.
Cut 20 (19) “..you deserve”