logo
Craddick sends Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) legislation to Abbott's desk

Craddick sends Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) legislation to Abbott's desk

Yahoo13-05-2025

May 13—AUSTIN — State Rep. Tom Craddick May 12 applauded the final passage of legislation to create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), a monumental step in addressing one of the state's most urgent healthcare challenges. With the Texas Senate's concurrence with House amendments to Senate Bill 5 and Senate Joint Resolution 3, the legislation now heads to Governor Abbott for signature.
"I am proud to author House Bill 5 to establish DPRIT and send it to Governor Abbott's desk to be signed," Craddick said in a news release. "Thanks to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's leadership and vision, this transformative institute will place Texas at the forefront of dementia and Parkinson's research and care."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Texas reined in recreational THC for more medical marijuana this legislative session
Texas reined in recreational THC for more medical marijuana this legislative session

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Texas reined in recreational THC for more medical marijuana this legislative session

Texas lawmakers this year heavily focused their drug policy agenda on banning tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, products in the state. Senate Bill 3, which prohibits the possession of consumable hemp products that contain any synthetic cannabinoid, often known as delta-8, was a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who often denounced the effects of the drug on children. As a concession of sorts to veterans and THC users with chronic conditions, House Bill 46 also passed, expanding the state's medical marijuana program by providing more products to users and adding more qualifying conditions. Both bills found themselves tied together as lawmakers reasoned that removing hemp options from the general public could be offset by expanding the medical marijuana industry. While the focus was primarily on THC this session, Texas quietly passed Senate Bill 2308, which would create a state-funded consortium to research a psychedelic drug called ibogaine. The clinical trials would test whether ibogaine is a viable treatment for substance use disorders and other mental health conditions. However, multiple bills that could have prevented overdose deaths failed to gain traction this year. House Bill 1644, for example, would have removed testing strips for fentanyl and xylazine, a veterinary sedative also known as 'tranq,' from the list of banned drug paraphernalia. In 2019, Texas lawmakers embraced the potential to boost the state's agricultural market by legalizing hemp products derived from cannabis plants with less than 0.3% of THC. Six years later, SB 3 intends to shut down the $8 billion hemp industry and cut its estimated 50,000 jobs when the ban takes effect in September. Critics say the hemp industry has exploited a loophole in the 2019 law to the tune of more than 8,000 retailers now selling THC-laced edibles, drinks, vapes, and flower buds. The proposed law would ban consumable hemp products that contain any synthetic cannabinoid, often known as delta-8. Non-intoxicating and non-psychoactive CBD or CBG would remain legal. People found in possession of a product with those intoxicating cannabis compounds could face a fine of up to $500. Higher fines and jail time would be possible for repeat offenders. Hemp industry leaders and advocates have denied any harmful intentions and are in favor of regulations on the industry rather than a ban. Aging Texans, veterans, and parents of children with mental illness or special needs have spoken out about the benefits of hemp, including the ease of access, the variety of products available to them, and the lower price. In contrast, concerned parents demanded a ban because they fear children would be harmed from recreational use. The Texas Hemp Business Council reported that it delivered 5,000 letters to Abbott's office earlier this week, along with a petition signed by over 120,000 people, urging the governor to veto the bill. Abbott has until June 22 to decide on a veto. In Texas, licensed medical cannabis providers must house all operations — including cannabis cultivation, processing, extracting, manufacturing, testing, and dispensing — under one roof. State regulations also prohibit inventory storage of medical cannabis products in multiple locations, so products must be distributed from the central dispensary. Any prescriptions scheduled for pickup outside the central dispensary must be driven daily to and from the pickup location — sometimes hundreds of miles round-trip. This has made their products more expensive and limited where the medical marijuana program can reach, hampering the small medical cannabis market in Texas. HB 46 aims to help by expanding the program to include more popular products such as prescribed inhalers and vaping devices, allow off-site storage and add nine dispensers, bringing the total to 12. It also adds traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, Crohn's disease, and terminal illnesses to the list of qualifying conditions. The first three dispensers will be selected from the previously submitted 2015 list of dispensers and then made available to the public. The expansion of the medical marijuana program will go into effect in September if Abbott signs it into law. Among drug-related bills that received less attention was SB 2308, which will make Texas a hub for ibogaine-related research, development, treatment, manufacturing, and distribution. This will be accomplished by creating a consortium that includes higher education institutions, drug developers, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to secure U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for a treatment. Ibogaine is a psychedelic found in the roots of the iboga plant, primarily found in Africa, and has been used for centuries during shamanistic rituals due to its ability to induce hallucinations in large doses. The drug has been illegal in many countries, but scientists recently announced a study finding that, in low doses, ibogaine might have beneficial uses to treat addiction, PTSD, and brain injuries. The bill could essentially give Texas a stake in any future revenue that may come from the state developing a medical use for ibogaine. The program will be funded through a $50 million appropriation from the state's general fund. Fentanyl, a potent drug commonly mixed with other substances and has caused the deaths of more than 7,000 Texans in the last six years, is odorless and tasteless, making detection nearly impossible without specialized equipment. Fentanyl test strips are among the cheapest and easiest ways to prevent overdoses, but for a third time, legislation to legalize them failed in the Senate. HB 1644, which would have legalized opioid drug testing strips, never got a hearing in the Senate despite passing unanimously in the House. The main argument against drug testing strips has been that it encourages continued drug use, but advocates deny this claim, saying that once someone is thinking about their safety, it is by the time they are getting close to quitting. Senate Bill 1732, which would have allowed nurses and physician assistants to prescribe medication-assisted treatment, like methadone and buprenorphine, for opioid use disorders, also never received a committee hearing. A smaller step lawmakers made to address overdoses comes in House Bill 4783, which requires the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to prepare a report every two years for lawmakers to evaluate the distribution of opioid overdose reversal drugs, like Narcan. The report will be required to create a statewide goal for opioid reversal drugs and include an estimate of insufficiencies in the current supply and a plan to address overdoses in high-risk areas.

Police search for missing Lake County man
Police search for missing Lake County man

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Police search for missing Lake County man

PEACOCK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Police are asking the public for help finding a Lake County man who was last seen Sunday. Jack Albert Peterson, 67, stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He has green eyes and brown graying hair. According to Michigan State Police, Peterson was last seen Sunday near Irons Road and 4 Mile Road in Irons. He left his vehicle, phone and other personal belongings at home, troopers say. Peterson has Parkinson's disease, MSP said. Anyone who knows where he may be should contact Lake County Central Dispatch at 231.745.2711. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

A-ha frontman Morten Harket reveals Parkinson's diagnosis
A-ha frontman Morten Harket reveals Parkinson's diagnosis

American Military News

time12 hours ago

  • American Military News

A-ha frontman Morten Harket reveals Parkinson's diagnosis

A-ha frontman Morten Harket has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he revealed in an article published on the band's website Wednesday. The 'Take On Me' singer told biographer Jan Omdahl that he underwent a procedure for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in June 2024, addressing the left side of his brain, and a similar one in December for the right. Parkinson's causes parts of one's brain to deteriorate and affects muscle control, balance and movement, as well as thinking ability and mental health, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 'The simple fact that, on good days, Morten shows virtually no sign of many of the most familiar physical symptoms of Parkinson's, doesn't mean that he is well,' wrote Omdahl, who penned the Norwegian band's 2003 biography, 'The Swing of Things.' Omdahl recounted Harket's 'round-the-clock effort to balance medication, signals from the electrodes in his brain, sleep, blood sugar and mindset in a way that keeps the symptoms and side effects more or less in check,' though it 'isn't always successful.' Harket said he doesn't 'expect to be able to achieve full technical control' of his voice anymore, even as he works on unreleased music. 'The question is whether I can express myself with my voice,' he told Omdahl. 'As things stand now, that's out of the question.' Harket, however, told fans not to worry and instead 'spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.' A-ha — a synth-pop trio whose members also include Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy — is best known for their 1980s hits 'Take On Me,' 'Cry Wolf' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV.' The band split in 2009 but briefly reunited in 2015. The music video for 'Take On Me' hit 1 billion views in early 2020 and crossed the 2 billion-view threshold this past September. ___ © 2025 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store