Sacramento, CA–(ENEWSPF)–January 6, 2012. California Attorney General Kamala Harris is requesting lawmakers to “clarify” the state’s guidelines regarding the production and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes. In a December 21, 2011 letter from Harris to Assembly Speaker John A. Perez and Senate President Pro-Tempore Darrell Steinberg, the Attorney General[Read More…]
Science
Federal Judge Grants ACLU Request to Throw Out Lawsuit Challenging Arizona Medical Marijuana Law
PHOENIX–(ENEWSPF)–January 5, 2012. A federal judge today granted an American Civil Liberties Union request and threw out a lawsuit filed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer seeking to strike down the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law that would allow sick patients to access important medicine. Filed in May, Brewer argued in[Read More…]
‘Lost World’ Discovered Around Antarctic Vents
UNITED KINGDOM–(ENEWSPF)–5 January 2012. Communities of species previously unknown to science have been discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, clustered in the hot, dark environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. The discoveries, made by teams led by the University of Oxford, University of Southampton, the National Oceanography Centre, and British Antarctic Survey,[Read More…]
Controversial Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Delayed
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 4, 2012. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has reportedly delayed its planned release of genetically engineered mosquitoes — which would have been the first-ever such release in the U.S. — until late spring at the earliest. The release was planned as a mosquito population control technique but[Read More…]
Lawsuit Seeks Justice for 1.2 million Residents Living Near SoCal Freeways
Lack of air monitors fails to capture full extent of preventable pollution LOS ANGELES–(ENEWSPF)–January 3, 2012. More than a million people in the Los Angeles region are exposed to undisclosed, unhealthy levels of air pollution every day, according to a lawsuit filed today by Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, the[Read More…]
CDC Awards $339 Million to Health Departments for High-Impact HIV Prevention
Atlanta, GA–(ENEWSPF)–January 4, 2012. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun awarding a total of almost $339 million to state and local health departments across the United States to fund HIV prevention activities this year. The awards are for the first year of a five-year funding cycle and[Read More…]
Pesticide Use in California Increases after Four-Year Decline
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 4, 2012. Pesticide use in California rose in 2010 after declining for four consecutive years, according to data released by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). More than 173 million pounds of pesticides were reported applied statewide, an increase of nearly 15 million pounds – or 9.5 percent[Read More…]
EPA Announces 2011 Environmental Justice Grants
CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)–January 3, 2012. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced four environmental justice grants totaling $100,000 to non-profit and tribal organizations in the Great Lakes region. These grants for projects in Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin will help to conduct research, provide education and develop solutions to health and environmental issues[Read More…]
Consumer Safety Groups Sue Food and Drug Administration Over Lax Nanotechnology Review
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–January 3, 2012. A coalition of six consumer safety groups filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 21, 2011, citing the FDA’s chronic failure to regulate materials derived from nanotechnology (nanomaterials) used in sunscreens, cosmetics and drugs. The lawsuit demands that FDA respond to[Read More…]
Healthcare Professionals Selected for New Innovation Advisors Program to Improve Care for Patients
WASHINGTON, DC—(ENEWSPF)—January 3, 2012. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that it has selected 73 individuals from 27 States and the District of Columbia for its Innovation Advisors program. A list of Innovation Advisors can be found at http://www.cms.gov/apps/media/press/factsheet.asp?Counter=4240. The initiative, launched by the CMS Innovation[Read More…]
