Washington s decision to put teachers and the elderly at the front of the vaccine line has led some to question why these predominantly White groups were prioritized over grocery, transit and other frontline workers who don’t have the option of working from home and are more likely to be from disproportionately impacted communities of color. Grocery workers became eligible this week, along with critical workers in agriculture, corrections, transit, food processing and other select congregate settings.
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Transgender Alabama woman to lawmakers considering treatment ban: ‘Talk to one of these kids’
Updated Mar 16, 2021;
Posted Mar 16, 2021
Jessica Fuller of Hokes Bluff, 21, talks about her opposition to a bill to ban puberty-blockers and hormones as transgender treatments for minors in Alabama.
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A month after her 16th birthday, Jessica Fuller took a long walk as she wrestled with whether to tell her father she was transgender.
She wrote a note, rewrote it over and over, and left it in his desk at home. She thought about throwing it away.
“I was hoping he didn’t see it, but he did,” Fuller said. “And he hugged me and told me he loved me. But of course that was the initial reaction because he loves me. I’m his child. He was shocked and confused, yes.”
Alabama riot bill moves forward, opponents say it threatens free speech, peaceful protest
Updated Mar 16, 2021;
Posted Mar 16, 2021
Protests turned violent overnight after demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, in the wake of the death of Minnesotan George Floyd. He died when a police officer restrained him facedown with a knew on his neck for almost nine minutes. The events May 31 to June 1, 2020, in Birmingham prompted the city to enact an overnight curfew indefinitely. The city s mayor also promised arrests if unrest continues. Demonstrators tried to bring a Confederate memorial statue down in Linn Park and then did damage to businesses near the downtown park. There were more than two dozen fires reported.Dez Wilson | DWilson@al.com
NORML
With the 2021 state legislative sessions in full swing, legislation to enact a comprehensive medical cannabis program or to significantly expand an existing law are pending in at least a dozen states. As state lawmakers actively consider and advance medical cannabis-related proposals forward, here’s a breakdown of progressing legislative efforts thus far and where they stand in key states across the country.
Alabama
Legislation is pending in Alabama to establish a medical cannabis access program for qualified patients via licensed retailers, after obtaining a physician’s recommendation. Senate Bill 46 would not allow patients to smoke herbal marijuana or vape, but would allow forms including pills, oils, lozenges patches, nebulizers and inhalers. This bill is based on recommendations from a commission that was appointed in 2019 to study the issue more closely. The measure was approved by the Senate last month and is awaiting action by the Alabama House Judiciary Committe