Workers' Comp Bills Sinking Into the Bayou

With Louisiana lawmakers hoping to close out the legislative session early, several closely watched bills affecting workers' compensation benefits appear to be dying quiet deaths in both chambers.  One bill that could survive long enough to see a floor vote in the Senate this week would authorize medical marijuana pharmacies, even for injured workers. Until a last-minute change in a Senate committee Thursday, the measure would have kept cannabis out of the workers' compensation system. House Bill 579, sponsored by state Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, would have legalized marijua...