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Local “We’ve been focused so much on the fundraising side of things that we haven’t given as much thought to the transient nature of our community.” — CHARLE S MENG, DIRECTOR OF THE ARLINGTON FOOD ASSISTANCE CENTER, WAS STUNNED TO LEARN THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FOOD BANK GREW 235 PERCENT IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, ALMOST 1,000 MORE FAMILIES IN THE COUNTY NEED HELP PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE, BUT DON’T KNOW ABOUT OR HAVEN’T USED THE FOOD BANK. ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY, 31,500 HOUSEHOLDS EXPERIENCE FOOD INSECURITY IN ARLINGTON COUNTY.
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A Pot Bust for the District? Washington In the three months that medical marijuana has been legal to purchase in D.C., sales have yet to advance beyond a trickle. The city’s pioneering dispensaries say they are losing money; doctors remain fearful to write prescriptions; and patients with HIV or cancer who may legally obtain the drug say they have been stymied by lengthy applications and warnings that the purchases remain illegal under federal law. Those were among the many warnings that advocates for a robust medical marijuana program ticked off Monday at a hearing, as they urged D.C. Council members to relax the city’s strict medical marijuana standards. Since the first legal purchase of medical marijuana in D.C. in late July, 59 patients, or fewer than one per day, have had their names added to the list of those legally registered to buy it, said Feseha Woldu, senior deputy director of the Health
SAUL LOEB (AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Hearsay
Capital City Care, a medical marijuana dispensary, opened in D.C. in April.
Regulation and Licensing Administration. Just over half of those have HIV/AIDS. And the patients come from all corners of the city, with Ward 6 having the largest share, at 20 percent, Woldu said. The figures, released Monday in a hearing before the council’s health committee, formed the basis for repeated pleas to relax the rules. Advocates said the city needs to do a better job training and clearing up misconceptions for doctors about prescribing marijuana. The city should also expand the list of
chronic or terminal illnesses that qualify, they said. The father of a severely epileptic 4-year-old said his family would move to California next year if a refined version of cannabis that could limit his son’s 10-15 daily seizures isn’t authorized for therapy in D.C. Others said that post-traumatic stress disorders, digestive ailments and migraine headaches should be added to the list. Some even argued that the list should be done away with entirely, and symptoms left up to doctors to manage with marijuana as they see fit. Council member and health committee chairwoman Yvette Alexander said she was open to considering an expansion of the list of ailments that would qualify for medical marijuana use. But she said she was also concerned that so few people had taken advantage of the program so far. “We’re talking about expanding, but we’re not really utilizing it to the full extent currently.” MIKE D E BONIS (THE WASHINGTON POST )
Plan to Bury Power Lines Unclear 3 Are you taking oral medications for type 2 diabetes? 3 Have you struggled to lose weight? The ENDO Trial Right now, doctors at MedStar Health Research Institute in DC are accepting new participants for the ENDO Trial. If you are at least 50 lbs. overweight and currently taking oral medication for your type 2 diabetes, you may qualify to participate. The study is evaluating EndoBarrier® - a non-surgical medical device designed to decrease blood sugar and body weight. There is no cost to participate, and all study-related care will be overseen by a team of specialists.
Take the Next Step To learn more, call: 1-888-978-8399 or visit: www.EndoBarrierTrial.com
The billion-dollar “game-changer” of a plan to protect D.C. residents from massive power outages got its first public hearing at the John Wilson Building on Monday, five months after a task force convened by Mayor Vincent Gray proposed it. And while government and utility officials who served on the task force remain upbeat about the “undergrounding” plan, some key details remain sketchy — most notably, which neighborhoods will have their power lines buried, and when? The outlines of the project, as discussed Monday, have not changed appreciably from when the plan was unveiled in May. New surcharges on Pepco bills starting at a combined $1.50 for the average household would support rough-
MANDEL NGAN (AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Washington
Superstorm Sandy felled trees and power lines near American University last year.
ly $1 billion in borrowing, allowing the utility and the city to bury 60 of the city’s most troublesome high-voltage lines. But while Pepco and city officials have issued general information about their process for selecting lines to bury, they have yet to release any information on where they are
located or when work might begin. More details will come once t he m at t e r move s f rom t he D.C. Council to the Public Service Commission, which said Monday that Pepco would have to submit a detailed plan within 45 days after legislation takes effect. MIKE D E BONIS (THE WASHINGTON POST )