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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Monday, March 27th

NPR

First hour: What's next for marijuana?

Second hour: Examining the fractures in the local Democratic Party

The newest Gallup poll shows 60% of Americans support full legalization of marijuana. With several states legalizing marijuana, this seems to be a moment of change in the country, right? Well, perhaps not with Jeff Sessions serving as the Attorney General. Sessions recently said that marijuana was almost as bad as heroin, which surprised some experts who work in the field of opioid addiction. Sessions has said that good people don't smoke marijuana. So what's next for weed? Our guests discuss it:

  • Dr. Aaron Fields, M.D., addiction medicine fellow at URMC and member of the Monroe County Opioid Task Force
  • Jennifer Faringer, director of DePaul's National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Rochester Area (NCADD-RA)
  • Phil Ricci, founding chair of the Genesee County Libertarian Party

Then in our second hour, we're examining the fractures in the local Democratic Party. For years, there's been discussion, both publicly and privately, about the battles in the party, and the lack of unity. At committee meetings last week, the frustrations bubbled over, resulting in a public letter condemning city councilman Adam McFadden for, among other things, race-based comments. But McFadden says the letter was filled with lies, and offers more examples of the under-handed behavior that has hurt the party. So can the Democrats heal? Our guests:

  • Adam McFadden, Rochester City Councilman
  • Beatriz Lebron, leader of the 25th legislative district
  • Joe Rittler, communications director for Rachel Barnhart's campaign

Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.