Sen. Ronald Young Pushes New Lyme disease Bill After Reports of Multiple False Negative Test Results

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
By Logan Samuels The Senate Finance Committee voted in favor of a bill requiring healthcare providers to notify patients of the possibility that their negative Lyme disease report could be false. On March 17, a bill supported by Senator Ronald Young concerning laboratory tests for Lyme disease came to the floor of the Senate Finance Committee. In light of reports of various false negative Lyme disease test results in the past, this bill asked healthcare providers to notify all of their patients of the chance that their test results might not be accurate. When a medical provider decides there is a need for Lyme disease testing, a patient undergoes an initial blood test. If the results of this test are positive, the patient undergoes a second blood test. What this bill brings to focus is the fact that while many patients test negative for the first test, many of those negative results are false. Due to this common occurrence, many patients are already carrying...
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Industrial Hemp Study Bill Passes its Third Reading, Moves to Senate

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
       The legalization of an experimental study concerning the growing of industrial hemp in the state of Maryland is becoming a real possibility as HB1472 works its way through the legal system.      The Agriculture Industrial Hemp Study, as it is now called, is sponsored by Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo. The bill passed its third reading on March 28 and is now headed to the Senate for consideration.      On March 26, The House Environmental Matters Committee voted 23-1 in favor of the bill.      According to the bill’s, Fiscal and Policy Note, HB1472 “would establish a pilot program to study the growth and marketing” of hemp plants for industrial purposes on Maryland State agricultural property.      Implementation of this program is estimated to cost $279,100.      The goal of the program is to assess the feasibility of growing hemp in the area as well as the extent to which this industry could be used for commercial purposes.     (more…)...
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