Mississippi Edition

Proponents for medical marijuana are hitting the road to advocate for ballot initiative 65, but some health officials say a constitutional amendment protecting the drug is a step in the wrong direction.

Then, the capital city is fighting food insecurity with a pilot program featuring Jackson chef Nick Wallace.

Plus, in our Book Club, "Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee."

Segment 1:

Supporters of medical marijuana are working to educate voters about an initiative on the

November ballot that would make its use legal in Mississippi. With events this week in the capital city and on the coast, members of Medical Marijuana 2020, the organizing group behind Initiative 65, are working to gain momentum ahead of the November election. Initiative 65 would allow Mississippians with one of 22 debilitating conditions such as cancer, seizures and multiple sclerosis obtain a prescription from a doctor to use medical marijuana. Jamie Grantham is Communication Director for Medical Marijuana 2020.

For Jim Perry, a member of the state Board of Health, Initiative 65 is the wrong way to pursue the issue of medical marijuana. He tells our Desare Frazier, it the measure passes, it would become a part of the state constitution, giving it protections no other drug has.

Segment 2:

Access to healthy food is a global challenge and one that impacts thousands of U.S. cities and over 40 million people nationwide. This crisis has been further exacerbated by the growing problem of income disparity and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic. But community leaders in Jackson are teaming up with local chefs to combat the issue through Sunshine for All - a pilot program sponsored by Dole Packaged Foods. Chef Nick Wallace, an Edwards native, says he wants to use his platform to address local food insecurity. He tells our Michael Guidry one way to do this is by embracing the "slow food" movement. 

Segment 3:

In a true crime story from the 1970s, a rural preacher was accused of murdering five family members. He escaped justice until he was shot dead by a relative at the funeral of his last victim. The relative’s lawyer was the same attorney who represented the dead preacher. Enter one of America’s most beloved authors, Harper Lee, who attended the trial daily and spent many years working on her own version of the case. Casey Cep is the author of Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee.