Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Louisiana’s Democratic senator opposes medical pot. Her Republican opponent supports it.

Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) attends a press conference.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) attends a press conference.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) attends a press conference.
Allison Shelley / Getty Images News

Medical marijuana crossed party lines at Tuesday night’s Senate debate in Louisiana. Senator Mary Landrieu, the Democratic incumbent, said she opposes allowing pot for medical purposes, while her Republican challenger, Representative Bill Cassidy, a doctor, said he supports it.

The partisan split is a bit unusual. Democrat-leaning states have embraced medical marijuana more quickly than Republican-leaning states, and Democrats are generally more supportive of medical marijuana.

Although Landrieu opposes medical marijuana, she appears to be just fine with keg stands on college campuses, as BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski pointed out. The senator was photographed in September helping a man in his late 20s do a keg stand at a Louisiana State University tailgating event, the Hill reported.

Excessive drinking causes nearly one in 10 deaths among Americans ages 20 to 64, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published in June. Marijuana has never been reported to have caused a deadly overdose, although it may increase the risk of traffic accidents.

More in Health Care

Health
Hantavirus will test if the world learned anything from CovidHantavirus will test if the world learned anything from Covid
Health

The hantavirus outbreak is still small. But it’s a huge test for a battered public health sector.

By Dylan Scott
Health
How worried should I be about hantavirus?How worried should I be about hantavirus?
Health

5 questions about the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak, answered.

By Dylan Scott
Good Medicine
Do health influencers actually know what they’re talking about?Do health influencers actually know what they’re talking about?
Good Medicine

Most health influencers don’t have real credentials — but they are more influential than ever.

By Dylan Scott
Health
A major new study found AI outperformed doctors in ER diagnosis — but there’s a catchA major new study found AI outperformed doctors in ER diagnosis — but there’s a catch
Health

An Open AI model posted impressive results in emergency care. But we still need human doctors.

By Dylan Scott
Health
Please don’t inject yourself with bootleg peptidesPlease don’t inject yourself with bootleg peptides
Health

Why Americans have gone wild self-experimenting with the hottest thing in wellness: Peptides.

By Dylan Scott
Health
RFK Jr. is in his influencer eraRFK Jr. is in his influencer era
Health

The real reason Trump’s health secretary is launching a podcast.

By Dylan Scott