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A study that would explore the possible benefits of marijuana for those who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder got a huge green light from the federal government.The research project, headed by Dr. Suzanne Sisley of the University of Arizona, already had approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But, like a lot of studies involving pot, it hit a bottleneck in trying to obtain cannabis from the only legitimate place it could — the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) sol

Last week, I wrote about gender parity by state in the U.S. Congress. One of the more astounding facts from that research was that the United States ranks 77th in the world by percentage of legislative seats held by women. Another fascinating tidbit though was that 4 states have never sent a women to Congress at all: Iowa, Mississippi, Vermont, and Delaware. While Vermont and Delaware have had a female governor, but never a representative in Congress, Iowa and Mississippi have not had either to

With International Women’s Day this past weekend, across the world there were displays of support for women. In Montevideo, Uruguay, the government dedicated a stamp to Luisa Cuesta, who has fought for truth and justice in the country. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, restaurants gave female patrons discounts on their meals. And in the U.S., there were various celebrations, including Hillary Clinton’s statement before the United Nations where she asserted that equality for women is “the great unfinis

It seems that in every cycle there is debate about which states should hold the first presidential primary elections. Some state always seems to try to jump ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire. Since 1972, the Iowa Caucuses have been first in the nation and New Hampshire has been the first "primary" since 1920. There, of course, have been states that have attempted to circumvent Iowa and New Hampshire, claiming that they don't truly represent America as they are small states with seemingly narrow

In Illinois, Democrats hold 12 out of 18 U.S. congressional districts. In the 12th district, one chosen by National Journal as likely to flip, Republicans are hoping to make the switch happen. The 12th district stretches from East St. Louis in the west -- with a chunk removed in the middle -- to the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in the south. The district leans Democrat, is largely agricultural, but might be leaving its incumbent vulnerable. The incumbent is Democrat Bill Enya

As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it?  - William M. “Boss” Tweed, c. 1871 History shows that for as long as the right to vote has existed, that right has been threatened. Thomas Nast’s caricature portraying “Boss” Tweed leaning against a pedestal on which stands “the Ballot” symbolizes a dark time in late nineteenth century America, where the “playing field” of politics was leveraged by party bosses and machine politics at the expense of the voters. Tammany Hall-era p

The history of voting rights in the U.S. has been a long battle of disharmony and disenfranchisement since the country’s formation and although freedom and voting are frequently associated with one another in our current culture, restrictions to true freedom in this regard still remain unsettled, contentious, and often unperceived. While democracy was forming in the colonies, the Old World ideology that it was nothing short of mob rule was held strongly by many prominent colonists, thereby limi

Climate change usually leads people to think about the North and South poles. After all, the polar bear is the unofficial mascot of climate change. However, climate change shows its effects right here in the united States. Perhaps one of the most obvious regions is the Midwest. Home to tornadoes, flooding, blizzards, and drought, the Midwest is - with the exception of hurricanes - home to many of the weather extremes within the continental United States. With some research pointing to climate ch

(Credit: WSIL) Choosing to leave his seat in the Illinois General Assembly, State Representative Mike Bost is hoping to capture Illinois' 12th congressional district in Washington. He is challenging incumbent Bill Enyart, a Democrat who is in his first term. Bost, a southern Illinois Republican who has served in the Illinois House since 1995, will formally announce his candidacy in Belleville on Monday. To date, Bost is the first major Republican to announce for the seat. During his tenure in

One-hundred and twelve legislative bodies have come and gone. We are now in the midst of our 113th Congress. And since our inception, only 27 of these assemblies have consisted of a sixty percent majority in both the House and the Senate; a partisan monopoly on government legislation that eventually became known as the filibuster proof majority. With a sixty percent lead in Congress, whichever party is in control would, theoretically, be impervious to roadblocks. But is an entire nation of peop