The Daily Mississippian May 4, 2023

MISSISSIPPIAN THE Daily

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency set to expire

plemented in March 2020 just days after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.

advised against this decision.

The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency is scheduled to end on May 11, and the federal government will shift its response to the COVID-19 pandemic out of the emergency phase that was im-

On April 11, President Joe Biden signed H.J. Res. 7, a resolution that will officially end the state of national emergency due to the pandemic — even though a Statement of Administration Policy made by the Executive Office of the President in January

“An abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system — for states, hospitals, doctors’ offices and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans,” the statement said.

When a public health emergency was in effect, the gov-

ernment provided extra funds to states to ensure access to the Medicaid program. Consequently, a hurried end to the public health emergency could cause many Americans to lose their health insurance.

The office of the president also expressed concern over immigration policies at the southwest border abruptly changing when the pub -

lic health emergency ends.

“Congress will effectively be requiring the administration to allow thousands of migrants per day into the country immediately without the necessary policies in place,” the office of the president said. Although there are tangible drawbacks to ending the

UM, Mississippi universities increase tuition (again)

K HOGAN thedmnews@gmail.com

Tuition at Ole Miss is increasing once again, up by $180 for in-state students and $528 for out-of-state students for the 2023-2024 school year. With five out of eight Missisisppi public universities increasing tuition, Mississippi students are faced with more financial struggles and ballooning debt.

The rise in tuition isn’t something that only affects residential Mississippi students: the increase is also impacting those from out of state as well.

After the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved tuition for the upcoming school year, in-state tuition will increase by an average of $169.

Two UM drag performers refuse to back down

For UM pre-med student, non-binary person and drag queen Jaquavious Lee, drag is an expression of love.

“Drag is essentially love. It’s all about love. Outside of drag, I am easily overlooked, because I don’t have a really big personality,” Lee said. “When I’m in drag, it’s one of the few things I can control, so let me control it.”

Many are trying to

wrest that control from Lee (Lady Pluto while performing) and others like them, though. In recent years, conservatives have attempted to separate the “TQ” from LGBTQ, denying trans and non-binary people their personhood and gender identity. Now, Republican led state legislatures across the country are ramping up their anti-trans rhetoric, specifically targeting drag and gender affirming care for minors.

For many drag performers, this is not surprising: Drag challenges gender roles and the power dynamics that come with them, allowing performers to fully express themselves.

Sarah “Sy” Heying is a non-binary person and drag king who performs under the name Ponyboi and recently obtained their Ph.D. in English literature from

Out-of-state tuition will go up by an average $342.

This means that Ole Miss is below the average increase for in-state students among universities upping tuition this year and above the average for out-of-state students.

Steven Holley, vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Mississippi, explained that increased tuition is necessary to provide quality education to students.

“We try to balance a minimal amount of cost increases that goes into balance with what we do here to provide education,” Holley said. “We’re not looking to do more of something because we can, it’s the bare minimum

Jaquavious Lee, who performs as Lady Pluto, applies a colorful eyeshadow look for the Oxford Pride Parade on the morning of April 30, 2022.

GRAPHIC: SEDLEY NORMAND / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Students with Adderall prescriptions suffer amid shortage

CAROLINE MAYS thedmnews@gmail.com

An Adderall shortage has made it difficult for many patients to get their prescriptions filled during the past few months.

Adderall is a medication commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly referred to as ADHD. Millions of Americans have been prescribed Adderall and use the drug to manage their ADHD symptoms.

In October 2022, the Food and Drug Administration released a statement regarding a shortage of the drug. This shortage was linked to a manufacturing delay: While some smaller manufacturing companies were able to continue producing the medication, the amount was not sufficient enough to meet market demands.

There seems to have been an improvement in supply issues. However, the ongoing delay has caused many backorders and delays for patients.

Joseph Dikun, assistant professor for the Department of Pharmacy Administration, shared his knowledge on the matter.

“There has been an increase in ADHD diagnoses following the pandemic, which, when combined with the DEA exemptions during the COVID-19 public health emergency, has allowed for more flexible telehealth consultations and greater access to controlled substances prescriptions,” Dikun said. “The situ-

COVID-19

continued from page 1

public health emergency, a drop in COVID case numbers supports the measure.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Data Tracker, cases and death rates have been declining steadily across the country, with 96.8% of reporting areas marked as having low levels of COVID-19.

The CDC tracker also reports Lafayette County as having zero new COVID-19 case admissions per 100,000 people as of April 27.

Many believe that the end of the public health emergency is a step forward in returning to normalcy after three years in a pandemic. Sophomore accounting major Caroline Dykes expressed that she looks forward to getting back to normal routine.

“With rates being so low recently, I haven’t really thought about the pandemic,” Dykes said. “It’s nice to think that things will be back to normal after being different for so long.”

ation has been made worse by shortages in manufacturing.”

According to The Washington Post, Adderall prescriptions have risen more than 30% over the span of five years, greatly increasing nationwide demand.

Assistant Professor of Public Health and Health Sciences Hannah Allen explained how an increased demand for Adderall has positives, too.

“The good news is that increased Adderall demand means that awareness is increasing — more people are getting evaluated, diagnosed and treated for ADHD,” Allen said.

The increased usage of telehealth services as a result of quarantining simultaneously increased people’s access to Adderall prescriptions.

“A rise in the use of telehealth services also increased access to prescribing providers, although there is concern about patients getting prescribed a potent drug like Adderall without being evaluated or seen by a provider in person,” Allen said.

Approximately 1 in 6 students are taking ADHD medication to enhance their daily focus, as well as aid in their academic work. Following the manufacturing shortage and limited access to the medication, many University of Mississippi students were concerned.

“I started taking Adderall for ADHD in August and it took my doctor and me a while to land on the right dosage for me,” senior

Although rates have been steadily declining, there also are some concerns regarding new variants. Arcturus, or XBB.1.16, has been reported to be of interest. Arcturus is closely related to XBB.1.5, a subvariant of Omicron that began to circulate in February.

As of this week, around 12% of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. were the Arcturus variant. The effect that this variant will have on the general public is dependent on the immunity of the population.

Despite the possibility of a new variant, many people still see COVID-19 as an issue of the past.

“COVID-19 has played such an integral role in our lives that it’s strange to think it’s finally over,” sophomore finance major Macie Walters said. “The idea of a new variant is definitely concerning, but I feel almost desensitized to it at this point. I never really see people talk about COVID-19 anymore, so it isn’t a huge issue for me personally.”

It has been three long years with COVID-19, and many look forward to the end. However, only time will tell if the pandemic’s end is for better or worse.

communication sciences and disorders major Camille Howell said. “It was right around the time of the shortage that I got my dosage straightened out, and it definitely took a toll on my body.”

Howell says this negatively affected her studies, too.

“It felt like it took so long to finally get my body used to the medication, then all of a sudden I was no longer able to get my prescription,” Howell said. “This became sort of like a mental block between me and my school work knowing I didn’t have access to my medication.”

Howell is not the only student who feared for their studies when their medicine became harder to obtain, and so students had to get creative.

“I have been taking Adderall for about 10 years now,” senior journalism major Anne Marie Defrank said. “Because of (the shortage), I’ve had to either drive to my home state of Texas or have my mother bring it with her when she comes to visit. Without easy access to my medicine, my ADHD is off the charts. It’s taking a toll on me mentally. My school work is not getting done, my work and internship are affected and my overall mood is not what it used to be.”

Senior journalism and integrated marketing and communications major Ellie Buell described how the shortage impacted her during finals week.

“Due to the shortage, I was left with only a few pills for a

week. This meant I had to pick and choose which days I wanted to take them,” Buell said. “I noticed a big difference when I studied with and without them and did worse on exams in some classes due to not being able to focus during studying. My mom would have to get my prescription filled in Tennessee, and each month we had to get creative on how I would receive it.”

According to several Oxford pharmacists, Adderall medication issues have recently begun to fizzle out. Adderall supply is trending upward, but students are still working to regulate their ADHD prescriptions and symptoms with the abnormally small supply. While pharmacies claim to now have multiple doses in stock, the situation has yet to return to normal.

GRAPHIC: SEDLEY NORMAND / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Picking a side: students split on Biden re-election

AKILAH FRYE thedmnews@gmail.com

After months of speculation, President Joe Biden officially confirmed that he will be running for re-election. The announcement prompted a variety of emotions and opinions from Ole Miss students.

Colton Jones, president of College Republicans sees the 2024 election as important for both Republicans and Democrats.

“The presidential election of 2024 will be a key and influential election for both parties in these highly partisan times,” Jones said. “It will be intriguing to see the support within the parties as caucuses and primaries soon begin.”

Jones is unsurprised at Biden’s decision to seek re-election.

“As for President Biden’s reelection bid, it is not surprising to see a sitting president seeking re-election after only one term,” he said.

Freshman journalism major Daylan Flowers provided his opinion on Biden’s reelection.

“I’m not particularly fond of Biden, but neither am I of any of the candidates from either party currently in the draw right now,” Flowers said. “Biden was someone I respected, and still do, but he’s just not fit for ‘leader of the greatest country in the world.’”

Biden’s re-election campaign is built around the same platform as his 2020 campaign. He has identified one of his goals as fighting for democracy and equality amongst American citizens regardless of political affiliation. However, some believe that Biden failed to achieve his previous goals.

TUITION

continued from page 1

balance so that we can provide value to the university.”

Freshman international studies and Arabic major Jack Facio expressed her worries regarding the hike in tuition, saying she is disappointed, but not surprised.

“One of the things that has affected me personally from his presidency is his embarks at the beginning of his term on ‘fixing climate change.’ He’s done the complete opposite of that,” Flowers said. “He got the U.S. back in the Paris climate agreement early, but he and his administration just approved oil drills.”

Another common complaint against Biden is the issue of his physical health. Many fear that he is not stable enough to be president.

“I think the increase in tuition for public universities is a large problem that unfortunately has a larger root that is going to take years of policy changing and change in people’s view on the cost of education,” Facio said.

Facio also expressed concern for how tuition increases will affect minority students and exacerbate existing limitations on their

THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN EDITORIAL staff

VIOLET JIRA editor-in-chief dmeditor@gmail.com

ZACH SPOONER managing editor dmmanaging@gmail.com

REESE ANDERSON copy chief thedmcopy@gmail.com

HAL FOX enterprise news editor thedmnews@gmail.com

ASHLYNN PAYNE news editor thedmnews@gmail.com

JUSTICE ROSE opinion editor thedmopinion@gmail.com

CLAY HALE arts and culture editor thedmfeatures@gmail.com

CAROLINE MCCUTCHEN assistant arts and culture editor thedmfeatures@gmail.com

AIDAN GALLARDO sports editor thedmsports@gmail.com

CAMERON LARKIN assistant sports editor thedmsports@gmail.com

ASHTON SUMMERS photo editor thedmphotos@gmail.com

“Biden doesn’t seem well health-wise, either. He forgets a lot of things and sometimes speaks very unclearly, and his head seems to be anywhere but stable to run our country,” Flowers said.

Freshman multidisciplinary studies major Brooklyn Hall shared a similar opinion.

“I feel that President Biden should not seek re-election due to his age,” Hall said. “I will say that President Biden is very experienced in the political realm

access to college education.

“With the increase of college tuition, this increases the burden that already existed in families and destroys the shot to create generational success for those who have yet to harness success,” Facio said. “Honestly, this problem doesn’t surprise me being that this country is very good at ensuring disadvantaged people do not succeed the same way

ERIN FOLEY LIBBY FLANAGAN design editors thedmdesign@gmail.com

SEDLEY NORMAND visuals editor thedmdesign@gmail.com

SAVANNAH SHOOK AVERY THOMAS social media managers thedmsocialmedia@gmail.com

WILL JONES multimedia editor dailymissmedia@gmail.com

AVERY WILLIAMS online editor thedmonline@gmail.com

When it is decided that The Daily Mississippian will take an editorial stance on an issue, the following positions will make decisions as the Editorial Board: editor-in-chief, managing editor, copy chief, sports editor and opinion editor.

and that could possibly be an asset, but I think it is time for a fresh face in the White House. A person who can unify is needed, and President Biden has struggled with just that.”

There may be time for a new face within the White House. Currently, eight people, including Biden, have officially announced their candidacy, with more expected to join them.

Despite the criticism Biden has received, he hasn’t lost all of his support. His response to

other advantaged people do.”

Junior integrated marketing and communications major Brady Wood noted how limiting tuition hikes can be for lower income students.

“I think that the price of tuition increasing while the number of students is also increasing is an absurd concept,” Wood said.

When asked about his thoughts on the effect of tui -

S. Gale denley student media center

LARZ ROBERTS Director of Student Media

DENNIS MOORE Editorial Director

ROY FROSTENSON Assistant Director/Advertising

JAYLIN JONES Advertising Sales Manager dmads@olemiss.edu

SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Owen Pustell

Dylan Sheu

Caleb Perkins

Kendall Scott

the pandemic as well as his extensive experience in politics are just some of the reasons many people hope for his re-election.

Freshman pharmaceutical sciences major Jianna Lowe expressed her support for Biden’s re-election.

“Out of the (election) candidates, Biden and Harris will serve our country greatly,” Lowe said. “I am happy about the way the country has been run since the pandemic. I feel that they are great candidates.”

tion increases on those who are struggling with the price of tuition, Wood explained that this leads to missed opportunities.

“The cost of tuition is already a factor that forces many eligible (students) to not attend a public university, and this rise in that number will only force more students to not attend such universities,” Wood said.

President Joe Biden speaks during a reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 1.

AP PHOTO / SUSAN WALSH

the University of Mississippi.

With new attacks against trans and queer people, they fear that the United States is backsliding into fascism.

“I don’t think we’re the first (group to be attacked). I think we’re the most visible right now. That target changes. It does seem like we’re experiencing an, honestly, fascist attack on our civil rights,” Heying said.

Heying, however, recognized that transphobia did not emerge recently, and that trans people need allies to rally with them.

“I don’t think this is new. I think it’s been emboldened and made mainstream,” Heying said. “Trans folks are a major minority, and unless we have allies, it’s a fight we could easily lose.”

Heying expressed how drag is a freeing activity.

“Drag makes gender expression playful. I know so many artists that have said the same thing, that it was just something that felt right, and so they got into it. We don’t have to compartmentalize ourselves,” Heying said.

This type of unconstrained expression is bound to enrage those insecure about their gender, sexuality or power, though. Lee thinks the recent spike in anti-trans rhetoric is an attempt from conservatives to control people.

“Femininity is scary to hyper-masculine people,” Lee said. “The overturn of Roe v. Wade was obviously an attempt to control females. And these bills are targeting transfem people more than transmasculine people, and drag queens, who are usually feminine-presenting. If they can gain control over drag queens, and trans women and men, they can gain control over the larger picture of women.”

Lee recounted one instance of harassment they experienced after a show. Lee is AMAB, assigned male at birth, but while wrapping up, they were still in drag and feminine-presenting.

“Me and two other non-binary drag queens had just finished a gig, and we were putting our stuff in our cars. After a show, sometimes I end up looking a lot more womanly than usual. And so this

random guy came up trying to get out numbers. I said, ‘Hey, like, very flattered by this, but I want to let you know I’m AMAB,” Lee said. “And he was just like, ‘Oh, you’re just one of those freaks,’ and he started going off at the mouth. I’ve had a couple of those instances, sometimes before I even go into the venue for my show.”

Heying believes instances like these and much of the hate surrounding trans and non-binary people can be explained in part by unresolved internal attraction to them.

“This can be a dangerous thread to go down, but there is an attraction-revulsion aspect to it, being both terrified of something but also attracted to it at the same time,” Heying said. “I think that could play a role in that you can’t just let yourself admit the attraction.”

Attempts to suppress drag shows go far beyond certain individuals harassing queens after the show.

On Sept. 23, 2022, armed protesters organized outside of the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis to stop a family-friendly drag show that was occurring on the premises.

Heying was about to go on stage when they were told that the show was canceled, and they needed to be escorted to safety.

“It was literally five minutes before we were supposed to go on. You’re getting ready to walk upstairs and fully dressed up, the whole crowd waiting, and then somebody came in and said, ‘It’s canceled. You need to be escorted out right now,’” Heying said.

Heying never saw the protestors that shut down the show, but strongly feels that the event should not have been canceled.

“My feelings on it, which are of course very subjective, are that it’s backing down to bullying that should not have ever happened. That set a precedent and that made a lot of people afraid,” Heying said.

Beyond direct suppression from armed protestors, Heying believes the drag bans are unconstitutional and unenforceable.

“The point is to make people self-police, and there have been a lot of venues that have straight-up canceled shows, even though the bill is being restrained by a judge right now,” Heying said.

Even more concerning

are right-wing calls for the “eradication of transgenderism,” which have directly impacted the drag community.

“There’s a lot of people who want to give up,” Lee said. “But also on the other hand, there are a lot of drag queens who are still pushing and carrying on their performances like (bans on drag shows) won’t last, because they are unconstitutional and should not last.”

What’s more, Lee said the violent culture against drag has discouraged people from participating in the art form.

“It’s been harder for newer drag queens who are just starting out. Now, when they get into drag, they’re worried more about their own safety,” Lee said. “Now, certain shows have a much weirder atmosphere behind them.”

Heying is known for being campy and playful during their performances, but expressed that they found it harder to tap into that same energy after the drag ban was signed.

“I found myself having trouble having fun. It all felt

really serious all of a sudden,” Heying said. “I’m still trying to get back to the play.”

Despite attempts to suppress drag performers,Heying and Lee, like many others in the community, are not backing down or leaving the South anytime soon.

“I’m always here for the underdog. So I’m gonna stay and fight, and I feel adamant about that. But that’s not everybody’s cup of tea and I don’t blame anybody for wanting to leave,” Heying said.

Lee feels similarly, and wants to provide young queer people of color and the next generation of drag performers someone to look up to.

“I feel like I owe it to myself and the younger version of me to become one of the role models that I wish I had growing up, to help the generation of drag queens that are bound to come after me,” Lee said. “Then, I’ll feel comfortable leaving the South, and doing Ru Paul’s Drag Race.”

Heying had words of encouragement for young people who

are interested in performing drag, but are scared of the social or political consequences.

“Drag is about finding your confidence and being visible with it,” Heying said. “Start out in your bedroom, do your own thing first, but once you find that bravery, go for it. There will be a lot of people that will protect you.”

Lee had words for those that would like them to conform to a gender binary and stop performing drag.

“I just want to have a conversation, to see how your mind works, to listen, to hear and not speak so you can see how my mind works. By the end of our conversation, I am 150% sure that your opinion of drag queens, non-binary and trans people will change,” Lee said.

Lee will be performing at Code Pink: Glamour! at The Lyric on Thursday, May 4, at 9:30 p.m.

Heying will perform at the Oxford Pride Drag Show, also at The Lyric, on Saturday, May 6, at 8 p.m.

Drag king Sarah “Sy” Heying, also known as Ponyboi.

PHOTO COURTESY: SARAH HEYING

Art and nature meet at Oxford Treehouse Gallery

crafted cigar box guitars, each instrument marked with a tag inviting guests to play them.

Secluded in a thicket of trees in rural Lafayette County lies Oxford Treehouse Gallery, a space that features distinctively Southern works in unconventional digs.

Vivian Neill, who owns the gallery, described it as an “unconventional space,” which is apparent on arrival. As visitors venture off the winding County Road 418, they can expect to be greeted by the friendly gallery dog, Loretta, and chickens as they wander down the dirt road that leads to the gallery.

Cultivating a relaxed space for art viewing is Neill’s top priority.

“We really want people, whether they’re buying or not, to feel comfortable coming and looking at the art and to not feel intimidated by a gallery,” Neill said.

In 2000, Neill and her husband Walter began to gradually develop their acreage into a hub of creativity. Beginning with a blacksmithing shop for Walter’s sculpture making, they soon built a studio space for Neill’s work that would ultimately become Oxford Treehouse Gallery.

Upon entering, one discovers an exhibition of Southern artistry, ranging from abstract redwood sculptures to oil paintings of the Coastal Delta, all shrouded in fresh natural light peeking through the pines.

Neill shared that the gallery strives to bring in an assortment of new artists.The gallery also offers work at a variety of prices, making ownership of original art accessible to many.

From Jim Henderson’s rural Mississippi-inspired watercolor paintings to Winki Allen’s eco-dyed silk scarves, Oxford Treehouse Gallery is filled to the brim with artwork from a variety of mediums. Over 30 Southern artists’ works are showcased at the gallery, including Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Mississippi Alan Gross’ hand-

The land surrounding the gallery invites a great extent of possibilities for creative expression. However, Neill expressed that expansion is something out of the owners’ limits without additional resources and help.

“We’ve got quite a few acres that we could develop. It would be a lovely place for plein-air painting and art workshops. It’s just going to take more administrative time and manpower than I have,” Neill said.

Nevertheless, Oxford Treehouse Gallery frequently hosts events and opens the creative space to UM classes in efforts to build a community-centered space.

Sydni Davis, a gallery assistant and junior African American studies major at UM, shared how the gallery is growing their online influence.

“One thing that we are trying to focus on now is our social media presence,” Davis said. We’re trying to still keep the personal brand of showing daily life at the gallery because that’s what people love.”

Davis, who is also a museum studies minor, shared her inspiration for pursuing her academic path and working at the gallery.

“I want to help the people that look like me get into these spaces and stay in these spaces. Not only is getting into a gallery or a museum difficult, but it’s the upkeep and sustainability of keeping your art there,” Davis said. “It is really important for people to see themselves represented in art because art drives culture in society.”

Davis shared that because many of the artists in the gallery are university employees and alumni, she would love for Oxford Treehouse Gallery to seek new avenues of affiliation with the university, such as a partnership with the Ford Center.

Although the gallery has recently seen an influx of students at their events, Neill

encourages students to further utilize the gallery and the outdoor deck as a space for creativity, academic pursuits and socialization.

“We always offer for stu-

dents to come and study on the porch, use the Wi Fi, or just hang out on a retreat away from town or campus,” Neill said. We just keep our space open for them.”

Oxford Treehouse Gallery is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. More information about the gallery can be found on their website.

Art exhibits at Oxford Treehouse Gallery, located at 328 County Road 418.

Rain or shine: Double Decker sprouts successful turnout

son than it is on the radio.”

From the festival’s humble beginnings as a mere stage held on the bed of an old pickup truck to an annual celebration of the arts that attracts an average 60,000 people each year, the Double Decker Arts Festival remains one of Oxford’s staple showcases of music, food and fine arts.

The 2023 Double Decker Arts Festival proved to be memorable due to a strong group of performers taking the North Lamar stage and more than 100 artists blanketing the Square with their creations. This year’s festivities mark the second year following COVID-19 and 21st year overall.

To kick off Double Decker on Friday evening, a crowd gathered around the historic Courthouse Square to view art demonstrations and enjoy a mix of touring musicians, including renowned country musician Ashley McBryde.

One of McBryde’s spectator’s was Double Decker attendee Tasha Lemley, who claims McBryde is more vocally impressive in person than on country radio.

“Ashley McBryde is amazing,” Lemley said. “Her voice is more amazing in per-

Senior Ann Farrell from Mobile, Ala. was particularly excited to see The Stews, an indie band that opened for McBryde, hit the stage. She cites live music as her favorite part of the festival.

“It’s the music because we have such big artists who come in for free,” Farrell said.

Direct support for McBryde was country girl-group Chapel Hart. Junior exercise science major Annaka Shumpert shared that she was particularly excited to see the Mississippi group because she followed their journey on “America’s Got Talent.”

However, Shumpert revealed that her favorite part of the Double Decker Arts Festival is the sheer ambiance.

“It’s always fun to just see all the families and everybody walking around and hanging out,” Shumpert said.

Though Shumpert grew up in nearby Tupelo, Miss., she admitted that she had only started going to Double Decker once she came to college.

Similarly to Shumpert, allied health studies major Haley Conerly shared that she was also most excited for Chapel Hart. Conerly, too, enjoys the human aspect of Double Decker. In a discussion with the

Daily Mississippian, Conerly recounted what she loved most about last year’s festival.

“I loved all the vendors and all the food and the music.It was really nice,” Conerly said.

On Saturday, the event kicked off bright and early with the annual Double Decker rac-

es and best dressed pet contest followed by a full day of art displays, local food and lively concerts. The Main Stage on North Lamar featured a variety of music, from Southern Avenue’s joyful blues harmonies to Marcus King’s heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll.

All weekend long, from

Friday, April 28 to Saturday, April 29, the festival drew in large crowds, despite precipitation putting a damper on the sunshine for the final day— proving that rain or shine, attendees will not give up their dedication to Double Decker.

The audience enjoys live music by Vieux Farka Touré from the safety of their umbrellas on April 29.

ASHLYNN PAYNE / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Ashley McBryde performs as Double Decker main header on April 28.

ASHTON SUMMERS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Fans exclaim their love for rock and roll during the first night of Double Decker on April 28.

ASHTON SUMMERS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Opponents of Mississippi’s medical marijuana initiatives feared the law would create an environment where almost anyone could get certified to use cannabis. More than a year after the law took effect, that hasn’t happened.

Slightly more than 3% of the state’s population is certified for medical marijuana use, and fewer than 200 physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and optometrists in the state have completed the necessary training so they can certify eligible patients.

Plenty of businesses still hope to cash in, however. As of April, the state has issued approximately one medical marijuana dispensary license for every 49 certified patients, and for every grower and cultivator license issued, there are approximately 107 certified patients. Of course, not all of the licenses have been put to use, and it’s yet to be seen whether demand for medical cannabis increases over time.

Campus Cannabis: Recreational marijuana in Nevada

A GATEWAY DRUG PROGRAM?

When Mississippi’s medical marijuana program went live with Gov. Tate Reeves’ signing of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act in February 2022, the state was flooded with industry entrepreneurs who traveled south in hopes of not only turning a profit through the medical program, but also positioning themselves should recreational cannabis use eventually be legalized as well. All 22 states where cannabis is legal for recreational use had medical marijuana programs first. These speculators are banking on Mississippi being no different.

Setting aside the question of whether that will happen in Mississippi, there are ancillary considerations: Does cannabis use increase when a state goes recreational? Do criminal charges, such as driving under the influence, increase as well? And what does a recreational cannabis program mean for young people — the group that is most likely to use marijuana?

Mississippi’s marijuana program is fresh: There’s no telling where the state’s feet will land. But looking to other states that have further developed their medical programs into recreational ones can give an idea of where we may wind up.

WHAT HAPPENED IN NEVADA

As in Mississippi, a ballot measure spurred progress toward limited legalization of marijuana in Nevada — although they did it more than two decades sooner. Cannabis was legalized for medical use in Nevada in June 2001. The next year, the state voted on another ballot measure to legalize recreational use. It failed, as did another ballot measure in 2006. It wasn’t until 2016 with the Initiative to Regulate and Tax Marijuana that cannabis became legal for recreational use in Nevada.

Today, the marijuana business flourishes in Nevada. Las Vegas, an internationally renowned tourist destination, is awash with dispensaries selling the flower and all its derivative forms. Despite this, a researcher at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas noted that cannabis use did not seem increase following the shift from medical to recreational.

“We were just curious if there was an immediate effect of recreational legalization,” Sean Neiswenter, associate professor in residence in the Department of Life Sciences at UNLV, said. “We assumed that you probably would see a little jump in use.”

For the purposes of his research, Neiswenter defined “use” as an increase in positive toxicology reports or an increase in the amount of THC present

in the reports. To conduct this research, Neiswenter collected data from postmortem toxicology reports from the Clark County Coroner’s office over five years. In total, the research included data from nearly 50,000 reports.

“So, it may not be that more people are using, but the people that do use, use more as it becomes more readily available,” he said. “Both of those are readily predicted hypotheses and literature about what happens when you legalize something. We actually didn’t see either of those, which is kind of interesting.”

Neiswenter entertained a number of possible explanations for the findings of his research, including the fact that marijuana already had been legal for medical use for more than a decade prior to the state’s inclusion of recreational use. In other words, it wasn’t new. Additionally, in looking at postmortem toxicology reports exclusively, the millions of tourists who visit Nevada, use marijuana and then leave aren’t included in the sample.

“We were just trying to get some data out there so that we could kind of get the ideas rolling — it’s something relatively new. We really didn’t know what to expect and were a little surprised that we didn’t see a bump,” he said. “Or, at least, not a significant one. There was a small change, that we attributed more to the general increasing trend that you see nationwide.”

As the drug is destigmatized, and more states legalize marijuana in some fashion, marijuana use has trended upwards in recent years. According to a study published in the National Institutes of Health, marijuana use among college-age students reached an all-time high in 2020. The number of college students who report having used marijuana within the past year jumped to 44% in 2020 from 38% in 2015.

STUDENTS FEEL SAFER

While Nevada’s shift to recreational use may not have significantly changed the behavior of the average Clark County resident, it has altered the lives of some students in the area. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is situated in the middle of the city from which it takes its name, a mere walking distance from the famous Las Vegas strip.

Students at UNLV, some out-of-state students and others lifetime residents of the state, spoke about their marijuana consumption habits and how things have changed as the state’s rules regarding marijuana have changed.

One of the most positive changes that UNLV students noted is the ease with which they can acquire product that they know is safe.

“A lot of younger people, especially college students, buy weed from sketchy people they don’t know. They don’t know what it’s laced with,” Erin Henderson, a UNLV student who works at a local marijuana dispensary, said. “Whether it’s legal or not, people are going to use it. So for people to have access to a safe supply I feel is overall better for society.”

While many students noted that it’s still cheaper to purchase from an illegal dealer, some like Hailey, a UNLV sophomore and Las Vegas native, refuse to use anything but marijuana purchased from a dispensary.

“When I illegally used marijuana in high school, there was a dealer that I knew through friends,” she said. “Now, I get it from people who can actually go to the dispensary and purchase it. I refuse to get it from anywhere but a dispensary now.”

At 20 years old, Hailey is one year shy of being able to go to a dispensary and purchase marijuana for herself. She attributes her decision to use products from dispensaries exclusively to safety concerns.

“I’m a big safety person,” she said. “And in this day and age, you just don’t know what to expect. A lot of dealers themselves don’t even know specifically what they’re dealing with. I’d rather not have it at all than not be safe.”

Alex, a UNLV freshman, explained that while he only uses marijuana purchased from a dispensary, there is still a robust black market that is cheaper.

“In terms of where I purchase it, I just get it from dispensaries,” he said. “But prior to that and even now there’s still a very large scene of people who are selling in the black market. But in my experience, I find that a lot of black market brands are really just brands that cannot afford to deal with legalization, and they still want to keep selling and make a living.”

Allister Dias, UNLV economics major and managing editor for UNLV’s student newspaper, the Scarlet and Grey, offered his perspective on the student body’s relationship with marijuana.

“It’s kind of seen as a regular drug. It’s almost like an Adderall at this point,” he said.

Adderall is a Schedule II stimulant commonly prescribed to people with ADHD to improve focus and concentration.

“It’s kind of been socially accepted,” Dias said. “Whereas beforehand it was looked down upon and scrutinized, if that makes sense. That’s been a huge component of the shift, socially, when it comes to marijuana.”

Dias described a campus culture that does not shy away from marijuana use. The drug is a ubiquitous presence at parties, as well as in the daily lives of some students.

“I would probably say that a lot of students use it,”

Violet Jira

Sgt. Javier Hernandez holds a Pisos bag, one of many items in the police department’s evidence locker containing confiscated marijuana. Pisos is a dispensary just blocks from the UNLV campus.

PHOTO BY VIOLET JIRA

Dias said.

Erin Henderson shared a similar sentiment.

“At least 60 to 70% of people who I’ve met probably smoke. You meet more people who smoke than don’t smoke, to be honest,” she said.

DISPENSING FOR PAIN AND PARTIES

Henderson is a budtender and store supervisor at Pisos, a dispensary mere blocks away from campus.

“I feel a lot of local people tend to go to different places around the valley. There’s a lot of different deals for students and stuff everywhere,” she said. “We definitely do get a lot of college students, though.”

Henderson explained that Pisos began as a medical marijuana dispensary before shifting into a recreational one with the legalization of marijuana in 2016.

“Edibles are our most popular thing, especially since some people can’t smoke due to medical reasons, and a lot of people are kind of scared of it,” she said. “And then just the smell factor and stuff. Edibles are usually the easiest, most convenient, most straightforward. It’s like a Tylenol.”

Henderson described a variety of reasons for people stepping in the door.

“We get a lot of older people as much as we do younger people. Older people, we get a ton of them looking for stuff to help with pain relief, stuff to help with anxiety, relaxing, sleep and things like that. And with younger people, it’s more people just wanting to have fun. They’re coming on vacation. It’s kind of a party, a little bit,” she said.

LEGAL OFF CAMPUS, ILLEGAL ON

Unlike many universities across the country, UNLV and three other institutions in southern Nevada are serviced by the same consolidated police department, known as University Police Services. Across all four institutions, the department serves 80,000 students, faculty and staff.

Adam Garcia is the vice president of public safety for University Police Services. When asked how the University Police Services has adapted to the state’s shifting relationship with marijuana, he offered a simple answer: They haven’t.

“I’ll tell you why — because under federal law, marijuana is still illegal, even medically,” he said. “So, because these are institutions of higher education that receive federal funding, we can’t violate federal law. Therefore, marijuana on any of our campuses and facilities is still illegal, unless it’s some kind of a research project or something. But beyond that, you still can’t have it here, even if it’s legal, even if you buy it legally. Even if you have a medical card, you know, it’s still illegal in the eyes of the federal government right now.”

Though university policy prohibits possession and use of marijuana on campus and in campus facilities, Garcia described a moderate approach to policing cannabis on campus.

“If you have a medical marijuana card and you have marijuana, we’re not going to arrest you. But we will advise you that you can’t have it here,” he said.

In the evidence locker of University Police Services Southern Command, there is a Pisos bag among the many bags containing various amounts of marijuana. The university confiscates that and other contraband, keeping it locked away in their evidence room for safekeeping and further testing.

For students in possession for recreational purposes, the severity of the infraction is determined by their age. Students who are younger than 21 — most of UNLV’s residential population — can face criminal charges for being in possession of marijuana on campus. All students found with marijuana on campus face student conduct violations, where the university deals with the infraction.

“If they’re over 21, it’s actually considered property. But it’s not allowed in school. So we take it for safekeeping. And we store it until they go and see some conduct and figure out how they’re going to retrieve their property and get it off the campus,” Sgt. Javier Hernandez said. “If they’re under 21, then it’s a misdemeanor. So they have to be charged accordingly. So that becomes evidence. We take what they have as it is, then it stays here as evidence, and then we send it to the lab to get it tested to verify that it is marijuana. And then we get it back. And then it goes to student conduct and stuff like that.” Despite relatively easy access to marijuana and a student body that seems to embrace its use, University Police Services’

crime log for the UNLV campus of roughly 30,000 students, faculty and staff shows a small number of drug offenses. Garcia attributes this to the fact that UNLV is a largely commuter campus.

“I think Mississippi is probably one place where you have a huge Greek life. You know, you have houses and you have all of this stuff,” Garcia said. “We don’t have that here. People come here, and they go to work or do their thing, and then they go home.”

Garcia said that at other institutions where the campus community is more centralized and residential, such as the University of Nevada, Reno, the number of drug offenses is a lot higher. But UNLV sees, in Garcia’s estimation, 50 drug offenses or fewer every year. And he attributes a lot of those to unruly visitors at events like concerts and sporting events.

Garcia explained that campus DUI offenses haven’t been a significant issue. But for other officers of the law, legalization of marijuana has had a significant impact.

“On campus, no. But I will tell you just generally speaking, interacting with my colleagues, it’s pretty critical. It’s had a significant impact. Marijuana is not

marijuana has played a role in this.

“More and more breweries are making nonalcoholic beers so that people can hang out with their friends and drink beer but not get intoxicated with alcohol,” he said. “At least some of that presumably is because they’re using marijuana and hanging out.”

While Dias does not use marijuana, he sees it as a benefit for the students who do.

“I know for a lot of students, they use marijuana as kind of an outlet to relieve some stress. A lot of students would, I guess, not necessarily be in the best state if they didn’t have something to kind of ease the nerves,” he said. “I think it would be much more difficult for some students to really get a grip on themselves.”

Dias sees marijuana as the better alternative to something worse.

“Realistically, what’s the alternative? Because a lot of students still get alcohol. And alcohol is worse, right? It’s kind of a better alternative to using something like hard liquor,” he said.

It’s not all perfect, though. Health professionals are increasingly recognizing dependency on marijuana

something that you can test for on the street. It all has to be through blood draws,” he said. “It’s easy to recognize what a drunk driver looks: how they’re driving, the breath test is pretty immediate. With marijuana, it takes weeks, maybe months to get back the results of a blood draw.

Though there is a wealth of knowledge around using standardized field sobriety tests to detect alcohol use, research has yet to catch up in any significant way in regards to detecting marijuana use.

“I think that the number of marijuana DUI incidents are underreported a great deal for that reason. So, have I seen it? Not on campus. But empirically speaking, throughout the state? Yeah, I think it’s huge,” he said.

MARIJUANA AND ALCOHOL

People identify marijuana as the reason a lot of folks drink less or do not drink at all.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t drink that will come to use weed and stuff just because it’s a lot healthier for you than drinking,” Henderson said. “Some people don’t drink at all just for personal reasons. It’s a really good alternative for a lot of people like that.”

Though marijuana has been proven in many studies to have more health benefits and fewer health risks than alcohol, excessive use of either can come with risks.

Neiswenter noted that many breweries in the area have started brewing non-alcoholic beers. He believes an increase in accessibility and popularity of

as an issue. Alex, the UNLV freshman, shared his personal experiences with this.

“I would say that my consumption of it is probably a byproduct of the fact that it was originally painted out to be this terrible thing,” he said. “And then once I realized that it wasn’t, it was almost like how they say, ‘When you try to repress something, it comes back with a vengeance.’ So I do feel like that has played into my consumption.”

At the time of interview, Alex was on a tolerance break, which cannabis users deliberately take to “reset” their cannabinoid receptors and optimize the effects of cannabis.

“I also do feel, in many ways, I did become dependent at one point,” Alex said. “So, my relationship with marijuana has changed over the time that I started using it, which was probably three years ago.”

Still, it is the perception of some students that dependency isn’t that much of a problem.

“I find that it usually doesn’t affect the average person’s daily life. If anything, it’s as simple as having a beer or a glass of wine after work,” Hailey, who was 13 when recreational marijuana was legalized in Nevada seven years ago, said. “I think most people are very safe with their usage.”

There are no crystal balls to tell us what would happen if Mississippi were to legalize cannabis for recreational use. But with 22 states and counting having recreational programs, looking to other states clears some of the smoke surrounding a possible recreational marijuana program in Mississippi.

Edibles, products containing cannabis that can be eaten, are one of the most popular products at Pisos dispensary.

PHOTO BY VIOLET JIRA

Which product, what dose? Mississippi patients search for answers.

Austin Calhoun spends $60-$100 for medical marijuana every week. He needs the medicine to decrease his seizures and nausea, and it also helps eliminate the inflammation caused by his arthritis. He knows it works.

“It is definitely, right now, a little pricey. I would like to see the price go down because a lot of people can’t afford to pay $100 per week. That adds up very fast,” Austin Calhoun said.

But he may be one of the lucky ones. His mother, Angie Calhoun, is the founder and CEO of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Patients Alliance. She and her organization played an active role in lobbying for passage of the Mississippi medical marijuana law enacted in 2022. Even so, she says there is so little research about the use of marijuana in a medical setting that some patients may literally be burning through their savings for nothing.

“Many (patients) can spend over $1,000 on their medication in a month, but if it’s not working then they wasted that money. Through the data (collected from patients) we can learn what strains and doses work best for certain conditions, which will save patients so much money in the end.”

Complicating the issue is that medical insurance does not pay for medical marijuana usage because it remains illegal at the federal level.

Dr. Daniel Edney, the Mississippi State Health Officer, points out that some visits to medical professionals related to medical marijuana may qualify for insurance while others may not. “There won’t be coverage for just going to get a card, but if you’re with your doctor and you bring up medical cannabis and your provider thinks that this would be a reasonable thing, then that (consultation) is something that could be covered. ... Unfortunately, no third party is going to help pay for the product.”

Angie Calhoun said, “If we’ve developed a bill and a program that is not affordable and accessible, then this program was for nothing.”

LACKING PATIENT DATA

Dr. Larry Walker is the former director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, where he oversaw all natural products research, including the cannabis research project. He says more data on medical cannabis is needed to ensure better outcomes for patients and less wasted expense.

“Let’s try to make it work the best we can and do the least harm that we can. (Medical cannabis) does work for some things, but it’s a matter of which product and what dose, so I would love to see more research done along those lines.”

Researchers have previously established that cannabis can have anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body and alleviate nausea by acting on chemical receptors in the brain.

Angie Calhoun also stressed the importance of the medical cannabis industry’s involvement in further research.

“We need to get data to validate what (growers and dispensaries) are doing so that no one ever gets to come back and say, ‘Well, this is not real medicine’, because we know that it is, but there’s still a lot of stigma behind it, and we have to end that by proving the efficacy of medical cannabis through industry support in funding our research program,” she said.

Melvin Robinson, executive director of the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association, says the industry is supportive of medical cannabis research.

“I cannot say that I have come across (a company) that explicitly states they give money for research. I also have not heard a lot of conversations about research since dispensaries have opened,” he said.

The NCNPR has been researching cannabis for almost 50 years. Angie Calhoun says that puts the state in a unique position for becoming a reliable source of information on medical marijuana for patients all over the world.

“I thought to myself: This is the way that we can actually make a big difference and make Mississippi the pinnacle of research for medical cannabis,” Angie Calhoun said.

Austin Calhoun concurred: “I believe that the state of Mississippi — with all the research that’s going on and having Ole Miss involved with it — is really going to help us out.”

RESEARCH INITIATIVE

The university and the MCPA have announced a joint partnership with an app called Releaf to collaborate on marijuana research. The app allows patients to document their experiences and record and track side effects they experience using medical cannabis and CBD, as well as other cannabis-derived products.

“By knowing what strains those patients used to treat a debilitating medical condition, we can begin to hone in very closely on a particular strain to grow for certain conditions, which will save patients so much money in the end,” Calhoun said.

This database eventually will be analyzed by

researchers at the University of Mississippi in order to create a better understanding of what strains and doses work best for certain conditions and groups of patients.

Without additional professional research programs, scientists are left to rely on medically untrained patients to give an assessment of whether a treatment is working.

Angie Calhoun points out that when researchers or practitioners look to a resource for information about strains or dosing, they want to know that it is a reliable source.

“For 55 years (cannabis research) has been done here in Oxford, and we need to be the ones leading that because we have the most experience, and in the end it will help our patients because they need to know what is going to work when they walk into a dispensary to buy their medication,” she said.

The Releaf app is available in all commonly used app stores for free, and it is HIPAA compliant: The data is recorded anonymously and cannot be traced back to an individual. The app also provides many resources that can benefit medical cannabis users such as information about what varieties have worked best for other patients. Further information about the Releaf app can be found at www.releafapp.com

Austin Calhoun said the Releaf app is easy to use and has helped him figure out which strains of cannabis will work best for his symptoms.

“The main thing I’m always looking for is finding strains that are going to help my nausea, arthritis and seizures. … If more and more people say, ‘Hey, that strain works really well for me,’ there’s going to be something in that strain that we need to research and find out why it helps people with certain symptoms.”

The Releaf app is available on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. It is free to download.

Andrea Cleveland

Ole Miss leads in medical marijuana research, some say it must do more

Andrea Cleveland

Atall figure looms in the foyer of the Thad Cochran Research Center on a rainy day in Oxford. Larry Walker is a physically imposing man who seems to fill the halls as he navigates his way through the center’s labyrinth on the way to his office. Since Walker is no longer a full-time employee of the University of Mississippi, his office is not grand – a desk with scattered papers and boxes and a bookshelf littered with scientific literature fill the small space.

Walker apologizes about the size of the space and mentions that he doesn’t come to campus often. He lives near Jackson, Tenn., and travels to the university only when necessary. Walker also jokes about the length of his career at UM: “I know I only look 45, but I’ve been here for a long time.”

The office is no measure of the man’s impact on the university, however. Walker was the director of the National Center for Natural Products Research for 15 years and a research faculty member in the field of pharmacology for 20 years before that. As director of the NCNPR, Walker oversaw all natural products research, including the cannabis research project. For nearly 50 years, UM was the only federally licensed grower of marijuana in the United States. Having such a readily available supply of product has made UM the worldwide leader in cannabis research.

“There are probably about 120 cannabinoids (the chemicals in cannabis that produce its hallmark effects), and probably 50 have been discovered in the last 15 years,” Walker said. “Of those, 75% were discovered here at Ole Miss, so we’ve done a lot to understand the plant and the chemistry of it.”

To put into perspective how novel cannabinoid discoveries are, the structures of THC and CBD were first identified in 1964. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the substance that produces the “high” associated with smoking marijuana, and CBD, or cannabidiol,

has been found to reduce pain and inflammation but does not produce a high and is not addictive. Walker says that these discoveries were so recent that when he was studying for his Ph.D. in pharmacology, the structures had not even been included in textbooks.

Walker addresses the question of why opiates and some other narcotics are not designated as Schedule-I by the federal government while marijuana is.

“I think the market incentives are not as high (for THC) as for opiates, so they don’t have that broad demand. Also, with opiates, we’ve known what the active principle is for the last 100 years, so (the research) was much further ahead,” he said.

So, how did a cannabis research program wind up in Mississippi? In the 1960s, the federal government decided to fund the research of cannabis in order to find out if anything – good or bad – could come of it. A proposal was drafted, and UM won the bid to grow cannabis for any federal research projects that were started thereafter.

A few years later, Congress passed the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, classifying cannabis as a Schedule-I drug, which labeled cannabis as having no legitimate medical use and also having a high potential for abuse. Fast forward a few decades and medical marijuana use is now legal in 37 states, though it remains illegal at the federal level. Mississippi adopted its medical marijuana law in 2022 and Walker generally approves.

“This is a really good program in terms of requirements for manufacturers for labeling and purity testing, so when you go to get a product, you can feel confident that it is what it says,” Walker said.

Now, Walker is calling for more collaborative efforts involving growers, distributors, the state and local researchers to optimize the benefits of a medical cannabis program.

“What we really need is a pretty robust clinical research program where we’re actually taking stuff that we already know exists and we already think may have benefits … we really need to understand dosing (and) how different people metabolize it. How it interacts with other drugs – (we need to answer) all those many, many questions,” he said.

Cannabis research continuing at UM is divided into three categories: continuing to understand production and structure of cannabis constituents, experimenting with certain cannabinoids to treat particular conditions in laboratory models and the clinical research program geared towards understanding medical cannabis strains and doses in real patients.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center recently directed clinical trials for a drug with the active ingredient of CBD. The oral solution was created by scientists from the NCNPR for use in these trials. Epidiolex is a similar FDA-approved drug that is used to treat seizures. It is the only cannabisderived drug that has been approved by the FDA for use in patients as young as one year old, significantly improving health and quality of life for those who suffer from pediatric epilepsy.

Since Walker’s retirement from the NCNPR, Ikhlas Khan has stepped in as the new director. Under Khan’s administration, the cannabis research program has continued to thrive, but Walker said the NCNPR is more than just marijuana.

“There’s no place in the country like this. … We have a lot of plants we’re working with that to me are more exciting than cannabis: more novelty, more, ‘Oh wow, this is something that nobody has seen before.’ … This is all part of our natural world. (We can’t synthesize drugs) the way that nature has done it in terms of providing all of this diversity that we haven’t even touched.”

Larry Walker sits at a lab bench inside the Thad Cochran Research Center at UM.

PHOTO BY ANDREA CLEVELAND

Who is educating Mississippi patients about medical marijuana?

Consider the last time you had an appointment with a doctor. You likely went because you were sick, and chances are you walked out, headed to a pharmacy with a prescription and picked up medicine that made you feel better. At other times, however, you can skip the doctor and go directly to your local Walgreens to find an over-the-counter medication.

But those seeking medical marijuana must follow a different protocol. In order to purchase medical marijuana in the state of Mississippi, a patient first has to receive a certification of a qualifying condition from a certifying Mississippi practitioner, which includes physicians, nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants.

This certification allows the patient to legally walk into a dispensary in the state and buy medical marijuana, but it does not specify which type of the drug the patient needs. For that, patients may have to rely on dispensary technicians, or what some call a “budtender.”

Cameron Chapman, the area development manager of Star Buds Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Oxford, explains the role of dispensary technicians.

“We help (patients) make informed decisions and help them determine what may work best for them,” said Chapman.

“We inform (patients) of what their weekly allotments are, what that entails, what products are available to them and whether or not they have any limitations,” Chapman said. “Doctors have the ability to say that certain types of products would not be the right fit for them, so we have to steer them in the right direction based on those doctor’s recommendations.”

Chapman clarified that budtenders do not make medical diagnoses or promises about marijuana’s healing effects.

“We’re not here to diagnose anybody, and we’re not here to speak with conviction about what this product can do or will do for them,” Chapman said. “It’s more about what the product potentially can do.”

THE DISPENSARY DILEMMA

While dispensary staff may be able to offer patients general advice regarding what products might be the best fit, this is not the case at every dispensary.

Monica Bass, a medical marijuana patient who lives with sickle cell disease, described her first dispensary visit.

“I was expecting dispensary techs to be savvy enough to listen to what a condition is and then be able to recommend, but I did not find that to be the case,” Bass said. “The dispensary techs were just

Michael Pitts

reading off of a sheet of paper, telling me what the potency was.”

After that experience, Bass decided to educate herself for future dispensary visits. She took part in a FOCUS (Foundation of Cannabis United States) certification. FOCUS is an organization that offers training in industry standards for medical marijuana business employees, as well as anyone interested in learning the ins and outs of the industry.

“I had gone the extra mile and got FOCUS certified so I would know everything about medical marijuana. That’s when I became aware of the strains and what works for me,” she said.

After her training, Bass visited a different dispensary. Her self-education improved her experience.

“They were more knowledgeable, and they had more products, but (the dispensary technician) still had information on the sheet of paper. And I was like, ‘Well, can I see the paper? I know exactly what it is that I’m looking for,” she said.

Inconsistency in the quality of dispensary visits has much to do with each staff’s individual knowledge and dispensary-specific training. Even though dispensary employees undergo eight hours of training conducted by the Mississippi Department of Revenue and Marijuana Enforcement Tracking, Reporting and Compliance, a company offering instruction related to medical marijuana, the training is mostly focused on rules regarding sales, proper handling and storage of cannabis, and restrictions that prevent them from providing medical advice.

TRIAL AND ERROR

In fact, since marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, no medical professional is able to prescribe medical marijuana. In addition, no pharmacist is involved in the process.

According to Dr. William Evans, a neurologist in Ocean Springs, Miss., that means patients may have less information than they need to use the drug safely.

“There could be adverse potential depending on a patient’s medical condition or current medications,” Evans, who does not plan to certify patients, said. “For many conditions, there is not good data to support use, and there are many potential adverse side effects that can occur in neurologic patients.”

Evans also doubts that the benefits of using medical marijuana outweigh the drawbacks.

“There is widespread belief that marijuana ‘cures’ many conditions. In my opinion, it may offer some relief for some symptoms associated with a variety of neurological conditions such as nausea, anxiety, pain, tremor, but the potential cost occurs with side effects such as slowed processing and memory problems,” Evans said. “Something that

claims to cure everything unlikely cures anything.”

While the long-term efficacy of Mississippi’s current model of dispensing medical marijuana has yet to be determined, there are potential risks to not having medical professionals involved in every step of the process. Outside of restrictions regarding the quantity or delivery method, there are few guidelines for patients looking for the most effective type of medical marijuana.

Stephanie Gray is both a medical marijuana patient and owner of a dispensary, GreenWise Cannabis Company. To educate her staff on the products they sell, Gray brought in a medical marijuana consultant from Colorado.

Even with such training, Gray says that trial and error is part of the dispensing process and that employees’ experiences with a given product play a huge role in helping clients choose the right product.

“We’re not doctors, so we just have to say that, in our experience, this is what this product has done for me,” Gray said. “We rely on that feedback in the dispensaries. I just tried one of the gummies, which is relaxing, and I liked it. Then, I had another gummy that I tried that didn’t really do much for me.”

Both Gray and Bass said they didn’t get any information from their physicians about the best products to use.

“They were mainly checking off the boxes at the office that I went to. They wanted to make sure that I qualified, they wanted to make sure that I had a condition that met the guidelines and met the laws. The dispensary side is where I got all of my information,” Gray said.

“They’re just trying to go ahead, get you certified and tell you what the next step is, and if you know anybody to refer,” Bass said. There’s no information that they have on what’s up with the dispensaries or what’s going to be best for me.”

For now, medical marijuana patients must educate themselves or rely on what could be less than reliable information.

“It’s just word of mouth. When I went in the other day to buy (marijuana), I was like, ‘Okay, what’s the word on the street? What’s everybody liking? What’s being purchased the most?’ That’s kind of how we’re learning,” Gray said.

Who is educating patients on the use of medical marijuana?

• First, a certifying practitioner has to say that a patient has a qualifying condition and may benefit from the use of medical marijuana.

• Second, dispensary staff can help patients narrow down which product may be worth trying.

• And finally, patients themselves can find what works for them and what doesn’t.

Reporter Loral Winn contributed to this story.

Mississippi’s marijuana risks in restrictions there most marijuana GreenWise the medical and that a product. in done the which gummy any best the that had the my certified know information or must less other what’s liking? of medical that may patients worth find

Top 5 takeaways from medical cannabis in Mississippi: the providers’ perspective

Alexandra Ladner

As of April, there are nearly 200 certified medical cannabis practitioners – physicians, nurse practitioners or optometrists –registered with the Mississippi Department of Health. Practitioners with credentials are allowed to certify patients as eligible to purchase and use medical marijuana legally within the state.

Some medical practitioners are reluctant to get certified, so to help alleviate concerns, we asked two Mississippi physicians to share five things practitioners need to know about the program.

1. It is extremely important to have an established provider/patient relationship before prescribing medical cannabis.

Dr. Timothy Quinn, a family medicine practitioner in Ridgeland, Miss., is registered to certify patients for medical cannabis use. Quinn says it’s critical to have a relationship with a patient and to know that patient’s history to determine the best form of medical cannabis to recommend. “If a patient presents with asthma, you would have less of a probability to prescribe an inhaled form of marijuana and go with a different route of administration than smoking it,” Quinn said. “Or if the patient has a strong history of anything that would warrant problems if they use marijuana. The take home is … to have as much of a relationship with the patient as possible. That way when you are prescribing the marijuana you can do a better job.”

2. Continuing medical education is necessary to participate in the medical cannabis program.

Providers must complete eight hours of continuing medical education to initially register with the Department of Health before they can certify patients for cannabis use. Each year thereafter, certified providers must complete five more hours of continuing education for renewal. Dr. Lori Hill Marshall of Jackson, an anesthesiologist with fellowship training in interventional pain medicine, says she had a smaller learning curve than many providers in the state may have. “I always stay up to date on alternative therapy, so when Mississippi decided to launch medical cannabis I was already pretty well versed on how it was being used in other states for the treatment of chronic pain and other disease processing.” Interestingly, Marshall, who specializes in pain management, did not find pain as the most common reason her patients requested medical cannabis. “I think you probably have more cancer-based or neurologic-based diagnoses that are probably ahead

of pain right now, from what I’m seeing. I think it’s being utilized for patients who are interested in non-opioid agents for therapy or patients that have become tolerant to opioids and just would like to try something new to give their body a different mechanism for pain relief.”

3. Physicians should seek the guidance of their malpractice insurance carriers to help them integrate a certification into their established medical practice.

Physician providers are relying on medical malpractice carriers for advice when it comes to prescribing protocols. The problem with medical cannabis as a treatment is that the evidence base for establishing the appropriate dosing form and regimen is limited or simply non-existent for the range of approved conditions. However, the provider is still obliged to attempt to ensure that the care is appropriate, that it is monitored and that the outcomes achieved are consistent with best clinical practice.

Thus, providers need to consult their medical malpractice providers to figure out how to properly manage risk.

4. Demand for medical cannabis is not as common as predicted.

Quinn says Mississippi’s medical professionals do not need to worry about being overwhelmed by patients looking to get certified for medical cannabis use. “It’s not as popular as I anticipated. We have a few patients that want it, but it is not as overwhelming as I thought it would have been,” Quinn said. “I thought people would be more excited about it, but at the same time we are happy that we are able to offer it to our patients as an alternative to care, because at the end of the day, we want to give our patients every medical option that is available. I am assuming it will become more popular when people start getting it.”

5. Is becoming a prescriber an ethical or personal decision?

Both physician providers had advice for other medical professionals who might be considering becoming a medical cannabis provider. Quinn said, “We as physicians have a responsibility to our patients to provide them with the best healthcare we possibly can, and medical cannabis is just another option so that we have more options for our patients to achieve better health.” Marshall’s advice included, “Do your research and educate yourself on the best ways and safe ways

ABOUT THE PROJECT: MARIJUANA. GOOD MEDICINE?

It has been a little more than a year since the governor of Mississippi signed the state’s medical marijuana bill into law and about three months since the first patient purchased medical cannabis from a dispensary in the state. Students in the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media, at the S. Gale Denley Student Media Center and in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College have been working since August to explore the impact of this significant development within the state.

“Marijuana: Good Medicine?”, a 12-page special report published in the Daily Mississippian in December 2022, focused on opportunities and challenges surrounding the cultivation, production, sale and use of medical marijuana in Mississippi. This semester’s special edition takes an in-depth look at some of the

people directly affected by this law, including patients, dispensary workers and medical professionals. We also traveled to Nevada and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas to see how the legal availability of recreational marijuana affects life on a college campus.

In all, 16 students from eight degree programs at the university participated in this in-depth project examining the impact of medical cannabis in Mississippi – one of the state’s biggest news stories of the year. They traveled to more than a dozen communities across the state to report the effect the new law has on patients and physicians, businesses and law enforcement, farmers and entrepreneurs and, of course, college campuses. To inform their stories, they gathered and analyzed data, some of which has never been previously published.

to treat people with cannabis, which is not necessarily applicable for all patients in terms of the forms. Make sure that you’re tailoring your therapy for your specific patient, their disease processes and their tolerance level. And just make sure you’re educated about how to do so.”

Throughout the project, students worked under the direction of School of Journalism and New Media’s Dr. Deb Wenger and Dr. Iveta Imre, professors Dennis Moore and Cynthia Joyce and communications specialist MacKenzie Ross. Special thanks for the spring special edition go to the following students: Allie Barnett

Andrea Cleveland

Violet Jira

Alexandra Ladner

Michael Pitts

Loral Winn

Dr. Timothy Quinn, Quinn Healthcare in Ridgeland, Miss. Courtesy of Quinn Healthcare

Dr. Lori Hill Marshall, Jackson. Courtesy of Dr. Hill Marshall

Anxiously awaiting change: Should Mississippi re-examine qualifying conditions for medical cannabis?

Allie Barnett

People with depression and anxiety have selfmedicated with cannabis long before it was made medically legal in many states. In a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, a survey of 290 young adults showed that 76% endorsed self-medicating their mental health issues, namely anxiety, with cannabis.

The National Institute of Mental Health cites a 2021-23 study estimating that more than 19% of American adults had some form of an anxiety disorder in the past year, and more than 31% experience one in their lifetimes.

While the majority of states that have legalized medical cannabis include at least one mental health issue as a qualifying condition, it is typically PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

New Jersey is the only state to specifically recognize anxiety as a qualifying condition.

Mississippi’s only mental health conditions approved for a prescription are PTSD, the agitation of dementia, Alzheimer’s and Autism.

States that have additional mental health conditions include Alabama (panic disorder), Michigan (obsessivecompulsive disorder) and Missouri (debilitating psychiatric disorders).

Eight states – California, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma and Virginia – leave it up to the prescribing physician to determine what constitutes a qualifying condition.

National mental health organizations have a wide range of attitudes toward the potential benefits of medical cannabis.

The American Psychological Association cited a Penn State study using cannabis from the University of Mississippi, one of the largest and longest running trials of cannabis and PTSD, as suggesting positive outcomes from use.

The study, published in 2021, showed a significant decrease in symptoms for those with PTSD, although the results were negligible in relation to the placebo by Stage 1. Though patients using cannabis reported a decrease in their symptoms, a comparable amount of patients who unknowingly received a placebo reported a decrease in symptoms as well.

Other organizations, though, cite studies pointing to negative effects that warrant caution for cannabis use.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says there is a link between cannabis use and depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and psychosis, although they are unsure if this is correlation or causation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points to concerns about the impact of cannabis on memory, attention, learning and motor skills; this concern is much greater for developing brains, which are those under age 25.

PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVE

While national organizations are on the fence, some practitioners are much more emphatic in their warnings against cannabis use.

Erica Komisar, a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst, says that the THC content in cannabis has grown exponentially over the past 50 years and can cause severe side effects. There are many theories as to why THC content has increased, but many point to the assertion that prohibition increases potency, which leads those who have self-medicated illicitly to seek higher THC content.

Due to the previously lower THC content, the CDC did not recognize physical addiction as an aspect of cannabis use, instead only an emotional one. Now, due to rising THC, there is a physical addiction component, according to the CDC, which poses a threat to those using cannabis.

Komisar, who has contributed to The Washington Post, Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal, is especially worried about the effect legalizing medical cannabis may have on adolescents. In an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, titled “Legal Weed Feeds the Teen Mental Health Crisis,” she argued that legalizing cannabis, even for medicinal use, creates a slippery slope; the use of cannabis being normalized might lead to poor brain development in adolescents who partake for either medical or recreational reasons.

“Adolescent brains are in a critical period of development, which means that the damage that it does to their brain when they’re under the age of 25 is much greater,” she said during a recent phone interview. “Some of it is irreparable.”

This damage includes anxiety and depression as well as bouts of psychosis. It may also manifest as depersonalization or derealization, or the feelings that you or the world around you is not necessarily real.

Komisar rejects the suggestion that raising the minimum age and restricting THC content might help prevent these issues. “That ship has sailed … and when we legalize something, we’re actually legitimizing it as not being dangerous.”

She warns that if someone were to experience depersonalization or derealization, it could take years to overcome, if ever. She has seen cases in which this loss of touch with reality, or even results of full-blown psychosis, can make people suicidal, which especially worries her.

She believes that if cannabis is used, it should only be for end-of-life medical issues.

“The only thing that I can see medical cannabis use for is cancer. … I worked in oncology, and it helps with nausea. It helps with nausea when you have cancer. … This idea that it’s used for mental health conditions — no, absolutely not.”

In terms of mental health treatment, Komisar believes psychotherapy is the key for people to overcome their mental health disorders. While she does think there is a purpose for SSRIs, commonly referred to as antidepressants, and benzodiazepines, she stipulates that it is only in the worst case scenario, such as when someone is suicidal and they are simultaneously in therapy.

THE MISSISSIPPI APPROACH

Mississippi’s evolving medical cannabis program, which launched in late 2022, has never included anxiety as a qualifying condition.While the state has been making adjustments to its program, striving to overcome initial hangups in application processes and regulations on business models, the list of 25 qualifying conditions has remained unchanged.

According to Keevia Porter, a nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, medical cannabis provides reliable shortterm relief to those who are suffering from PTSD episodes. Porter also runs Zyn Healthcare in Oxford, Mississippi.

“Most times PTSD is treated with the same medicine that we treat anxiety, which are antidepressants,” said Porter. “Antidepressants work well both for anxiety as well as depression. That’s because the neurotransmitter imbalances are about the same causes.”

The main issues that plague PTSD patients are panic and ruminating thoughts, often related to the incident or incidents that incited the disorder. Though cannabis does not cure PTSD, it serves to relieve patients from their fightor-flight response activating during triggers. This can lead to a better quality of life for those struggling with symptom management.

As long as a patient responds well and does not have a history that indicates a predisposition to known side effects, such as derealization, hallucinations or episodes of psychosis, she believes that medical cannabis is a viable treatment option for qualifying anxiety disorders. She still recommends patients seek psychotherapy on top of their cannabis prescription, particularly those with PTSD, whom she recommends for trauma-based psychotherapy.

“The only time I discourage the use of it is if a person has a mental health disorder that causes psychosis, (like schizophrenia),” Porter said. “I tell them, if it makes you hallucinate more or increases your psychosis, then I recommend you not use it.”

Studies have shown cannabis efficacy in treating PTSD; a study from Wayne State University found that THC’s function in the amygdala, which is a vital part of the brain’s development of memories and emotional responses, can regulate threat processing.

One example Porter offers is patients who have developed PTSD from sexual assault. Often, these patients struggle to interact with those who remind them of their abuser – typically men. Her patients can use cannabis before a known interaction with men will occur, and this will dull their otherwise immediate reaction of anxiety.

As for its role in treating other anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, more research is needed. There are contradictory findings, such as between largescale surveys and clinical trials.

PATIENT PREFERENCE

Two Mississippi patients who use or have used cannabis to treat PTSD agreed that it alleviated their symptoms and was their preferred method of treatment. Both wished to remain anonymous due to the stigma surrounding cannabis.

One patient, J, said he had wanted to get off Valium and Xanax, which his psychiatrist would flip between for his prescriptions. Both are benzodiazepines, and their strong potential for abuse worried him as he has a family history of addiction. Further, they can cause side effects both when on the medications and when in withdrawal, some of which are potentially fatal.

Though J told his psychiatrist he did not like the feeling of taking these medications, and that he was worried about long-term effects, his psychiatrist was still a roadblock in getting a state-approved medical card for cannabis.

“It’s really upsetting to me that I trusted this person with my mental health and then when I wanted off of the Valiums, he didn’t want to help me do that,” he said.

He had to switch doctors to one who would prescribe medical cannabis.

“In terms of patients … I think that they’d need to take another look at the qualifying conditions. Anxiety disorders are just as important as people like me (with PTSD), because I have anxiety disorders, too, and PTSD night terrors.” He went on to include that “anxiety disorders, insomnia, sleep disorders, I think those things need to be addressed with plants versus medication.”

Another patient, B, used cannabis while living in Colorado due to PTSD developed from his time in the military. However, he does not currently have a prescription for PTSD in Mississippi; due to a debilitating car accident in Colorado that forced him to move back home, he has a cannabis prescription for chronic pain instead.

“I think they should just go to a model where the doctor can recommend cannabis for whatever (seems appropriate),” he said.“So, it should be between you and your doctor, not the state … tell(ing) you, okay, you can only get it for these things.”

Erica Komisar, clinical social worker and psychoanalyst Courtesy of Erica Komisar

Keevia Porter, nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Courtesy of Keevia Porter

What the Ole Miss baseball team should be doing, according to fans

ship for the Rebels’ woes.

The Rebel baseball team has a huge hole to crawl out of if they want to make it to the NCAA tournament this year. After the incredible run Ole Miss had at the end of last season, some fans are still holding onto hope that it will happen again, while others have given up.

Not only have some fans lost hope, it looks as if the team has, too. This time last year, the Rebels held a 7-14 conference record and had a slim chance of making it to a regional tournament.

With a veteran team of very talented players, fans were upset with head coach Mike Bianco for the way the season had been shaping up. That’s when a hashtag went trending on Twitter: #FireBianco.

Considering that the Rebels are 3-15 in conference play right now, people are once again hopping on the #FireBianco train.

On Twitter, @EverythingRebs said, “Following a National Championship, there is always the possibility of a down year. This is no longer a down year. This is not Ole Miss Baseball.”

With Hunter Elliott being injured and benched for the majority of the season, pitching has been a struggle for Ole Miss. All three of the Rebels’ weekend starters have earned run averages over five and have given up over 25 earned runs each.

To make matters worse, when Ole Miss has a good pitching night, the bats do not come alive. Fans think they have an explanation.

Sarah Sign, a junior integrated marketing communications major in Michael Katz’s sports writing class, blamed poor leader-

“No one has filled Tim Elko’s shoes yet as a leader, and that’s what they’re missing,” Sign said.

After Elko, who was last year’s team captain, was drafted by the White Sox, senior Garrett Wood was named captain of the 2023 team. Wood is loved by the community of Oxford and his teammates, but he is not a regular in the team’s lineup.

This raises the question of who is really holding the team together on the field.

Austin Anderson, a former Ole Miss All-American, said that leadership does not necessarily come from someone with a title.

“I mean, someone [has to] take control. [You] don’t have to be a captain to be a captain,” Anderson said.

So, who is the backbone of this team? Fans agree that it is Calvin Harris and Kemp Alderman.

Both juniors lead the team in batting averages, and Alderman has even stepped in to pitch this year. They are the players who Rebel Nation feels that they can count.

On the other hand, Peyton Chatagnier and TJ McCants have the lowest batting averages on the team. The right fielder and second baseman have been staples in the Rebel lineup for the past few years, but some feel that it is time to end that.

After many tweets begging for McCants and Chatagnier to be taken out of the lineup, Coach Bianco finally did so in a game against Mississippi State.

Coach Bianco’s loyalty to his players is understandable,, but at a certain point, he must think about the effect his forgiveness has on the Rebels’ record.

Twitter user @EverythingRebs has the opinion that there shouldn’t be a game moving forward where both freshman Will Furniss and

Judd Utermark aren’t both in the lineup. Many others agreed and think the two outstanding players are the future of Ole Miss baseball.

Ole Miss has players that rank within the SEC’s top 15 in categories like batting average, runs scored, hits, home runs, doubles and stolen bases. However, all of these accomplishments were achieved by the top four players of the order: Jacob Gonzalez, Ethan Groff, Harris and Alderman.

It is hard to make it in the Southeastern Conference when only four players are truly showing up.

As for pitching, the Indianapolis transfer Xavier Rivas is widely regarded as the best starting pitcher the Rebels have, as

Elliott is just now getting back into the swing of things. Rivas is also tied for ninth in batters struck out this season.

Two weekends ago against LSU, Rivas threw 104 pitches and was struggling after two walks and a single. Fans were shocked Bianco did not make a call to the bullpen because the bases were loaded with only one out.

On the very first pitch to the next batter, Rivas gave up a grand slam. Red Cup Rebellion took to Twitter to defend Rivas, saying that “Xavier Rivas did admirable work for four innings, another baffling choice by Bianco to keep him in while he’s clearly struggling.”

Fans are clearly questioning Bianco’s decisions, just as they did last year.

To truly have a shot at making it to the NCAA tournament, the Rebels need to win at least 12 conference games, which still only gives them an 18% chance of hearing their name on selection day.

With only 12 SEC games remaining, that means Ole Miss has to win at least nine more regular season games and hopefully make a run in the SEC tournament to give them a little more room to breathe.

While it is doable, fans think it is only possible if the team gets hot and Bianco makes some serious changes.

As Ole Miss Baseball fan @ LandonB78 tweeted, “Look, a Natty is awesome, but people can’t just let this go by and use the Natty as a blanket. There are changes that need to happen.”

The student section erupts following a home run at Swayze Field last year.

FILE PHOTO: HG BIGGS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Ole Miss head coach Lane

Kiffin did a great job of adding depth to the quarterback position during this off season. With backup QB Luke Altmyer going to the University of Illinois and third-string QB Kinkhead Dent hitting the transfer portal, it left a big question mark surrounding the QB room at Ole Miss.

Kiffin immediately hit the portal, bringing in LSU’s Walker Howard and Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders. Both of these additions garnered a huge amount of media attention, as both QBs were widely pursued by multiple other Power Five schools.

Sanders is a do-it-all type of player, as he can run and throw with the best of the best in college football. As a senior, Sanders is a very vocal player and can easily lead this relatively young Ole Miss team.

Last year, Sanders led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to a Fiesta Bowl win

over Notre Dame. During the 2022-23 season, he threw for more than 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns, even though he missed three games during the regular season.

Sanders can add explosiveness to the high-powered Ole Miss offense due to his ability to run downhill. His ability to escape out of the pocket could work exceptionally well for the offense that Kiffin likes to run at Ole Miss.

Kiffin knew he wanted more talent at the QB position, so he signed Howard as well. Howard stands at 6 feet 1 inch tall and is the perfect build for a college quarterback.

Howard was the 42nd ranked prospect in the 2022 class. He is a great runner, which is perfect for the scheme and style that Ole Miss runs.

He attended St. Thomas More in Louisiana and led the team to back-toback state titles in 2019 and 2020. He comes to Ole Miss with four years of eligibility remaining and could be the Rebels’ future QB.

Jaxson Dart, who won the starting job in 2022, showed many flashes of being this team’s future QB, as he played well against

teams like Texas A&M and rival Mississippi State. It will take a lot to dethrone him. This will certainly be an interesting QB battle to keep

an eye on. Will Kiffin roll with Dart, or will Sanders or Howard take the starting role from him this upcoming 2023-24 season?

Ole Miss squeaks out victory against Little Rock

CAMERON LARKIN

thedmsports@gmail.com

Ole Miss took on the Little Rock Trojans in its second to last non-conference game of the season, and it was a nail-biter. The Rebels pulled out a 12-10 win, but it did not come easily.

Coming off of their first conference series win of the season against Georgia, the Rebels held onto hope that they could hear their names called during the College World Series selection show. However, if this showing against Little Rock indicates how this last stretch of the season will go, Ole Miss will not have a back-to-back championship to look forward to.

This was a high-scoring affair between two teams not used to shootouts. One team had to come out on top in this offensive matchup, and the Rebels used some seventh and eighth-inning runs to secure the lead.

From the very start of the game, it was evident that Little Rock would not roll over and accept a loss. The Trojans notched a two-run home run off of Luke Pectol’s bat in the first inning, which immediately put pressure on the Rebels’ offense to respond.

In the bottom of the first inning, Ole Miss outfielder Calvin Harris hammered a homer to cut Little Rock’s lead to one.

After three innings, the score was tied 2-2,

but both teams got a big chunk of their scoring done in the fourth inning.

Little Rock hit Ole Miss in the mouth, scoring five runs in the top of the fourth. For the Rebels, Kemp Alderman walked, just for Ethan Groff to send him home with his two-run homerun. The same would happen with John Kramer walking and TJ McCants sending them home. After four innings, Little Rock still led 7-6.

The Trojans did not take the pressure off, as they accumulated three more

home runs in the sixth inning. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Kramer hit a two-run homer of his own to bring the score to 10-8.

After inning seven, the score was 10-9 until Jacob Gonzalez hit an RBI single to allow Reagan Buford to score the tying run. A sum of RBIs from Ethan Lege and Harris propelled Ole Miss to its eventual 12-10 win.

Rebel fans would have loved to see a more dominant win over a team like Little Rock to give them some hope for a playoff berth, but

the remainder of the season schedule, coupled with the SEC tournament, gives the reigning national champions slim hope of even securing a spot in the postseason.

The upcoming schedule for Ole Miss sees them take on Missouri, Auburn and Alabama for its remaining season series and Austin Peay in its final non-conference game of the season.

The series against Missouri will take place in Columbia, Mo., and starts on Thursday, May 6, at 6 p.m. CDT and will air on SEC Network+.

Catcher and outfielder Calvin Harris swings at a fast ball.

HG BIGGS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin celebrates after the Ole Miss defense stops Texas A&M’s offense on a second-down play on Oct. 29, 2022.

PHOTO COURTESY: HG BIGGS / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN

JUSTICE ROSE

thedmopinion@gmail.com

By early May, it seems the school semester would be all but over with. Lectures have become a technicality at this point, attendance is in the toilet and student morale has waned greatly. Adding final exam anxiety and the prospects of summer vacation to that, and everybody is ready to wrap things up.

This is easily the most important time in the semester gradewise, though. This is crunch time. This is the fourth quarter. Things are down to the wire. This 15th week and finals week can make or break many students’ GPAs.

This isn’t just the last chance for irresponsible students walking a proverbial tightrope over thin, BlackBoard ice. Even students who have done their due diligence and stayed on top of things feel nervous at this time. Regardless of each class’ specific course structure, a final examination usually can move your grade up or down 5-20%. So, a fumble at the last minute could spell disaster.

This isn’t a new dilemma, either. Universities have more or less been structured like this for at least the past century. That history doesn’t mean it’s an ideal structure, though.

The biggest problem is the weight these exams hold. Unless a final exam is exceptionally cumulative — very long and diverse in question content — I doubt it truly evaluates proficiency or mastery of the course. A single test should not trump a semester’s worth of work.

What exactly am I asking for? A re-evaluation. I’m certain that professors and deans have put much thought and effort into course re-

Opinion Policies:

OPINION

quirements. It’s part of their job. As students, we expend our time and effort in order to pass these courses. It’s part of our job. It’s common knowledge that students generally aren’t fond of finals. It’s not minor animosity, like the attitude for occasionally inconveniencing homework, but rather a genuine disdain for a week of tests and projects.

With that in mind, what’s being done to rectify things and satisfy students paying thousands of dollars to attend the university?

Many courses offer optional finals, meaning that students are given the choice to take a final or not. If they opt out, there are no repercussions. If they do poorly, it won’t impact their final grade.

Some professors have altered course syllabi to lessen the potential damage a final can do. For instance, finals are sometimes weighted the same as other tests in the course.

Other professors have turned to contract grading. Contract grading is when a professor and student make prior agreements that must be fulfilled in order to achieve a certain grade. For example, a student agrees to turn in four papers by the end of the semester to at least get a B letter grade.

While these techniques work, they are largely dependent on the nature of a given course. I think there’s something all professors should lean into as the semester closes — dead week.

Dead week is a practice where course loads are reduced to near zero the week before exams. Additionally, class is usually optional or treated as a study hall during this week.

If mandated, dead week could become a great compromise for students and professors. The departments that refuse to let up

SEEK MENTAL HEALTH HELP

BECAUSE YOU’RE STRONG

on final exams are appeased by keeping their ability to test students, and students in those departments would have an extra week dedicated to preparing for them. Students who are behind in coursework have more time to pull off yet another impressive feat of procrastination and academic triumph.

There are a few available options to get dead week adopted, namely through the Associated Student Body Senate. Currently, it’s outlined in the academic regulations that no test, exam, or quiz weighing more than 10% shall be administered from Wednesday to Friday during the last week of class. It should be one of ASB’s top priorities to influence the expansion of this rule to cover the entire week while also restricting attendance requirements.

To be fair, that’s an entire process in itself. Until then, a realistic route is a winkwink-nudge-nudge, de facto understanding between students and professors to have a scheduled week in the syllabus with little to no assignments.

Either way, students are suffering as they mentally and physically strain themselves to keep up with class while simultaneously preparing for daunting exams. This shouldn’t be the case. As students, it’s on us to apply pressure in order to get what we want. In this case, let’s set our sights on getting a dead week for everyone.

Justice Rose is the opinion editor and a sophomore majoring in journalism from Madison, Miss.

Columns do not represent the views of The University of Mississippi or The Daily Mississippian. The Daily Mississippian welcomes letters to the editor, which should be emailed to thedmopinion@gmail. com. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. They may be edited for clarity, brevity and libel. Thirdparty letters and those with pseudonyms or no name will not be published. Letters are limited to one per individual per month. Letters should include contact information, including relationship to the university, if applicable.

SUDOKU©

Puzzles by KrazyDad

HOW TO PLAY

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 with no repeats.

Getting a mental health diagnosis isn’t the end of life as you know it. It’s the beginning of your journey towards hope. Support yourself or loved ones by seeking mental health treatment.

SCAN WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE CAMERA

Mississippi Department of Mental Health dmh.ms.gov

CLASSIFIEDS INFORMATION

39545

The DEADLINE to place, correct or cancel an ad is 12 p.m. one business day in advance. The Daily Mississippian is published on Thursdays during the academic school year.

SEEK MENTAL HEALTH HELP

Classified ads must be prepaid. refunds on classified ads once published.

The DM reserves the right to refuse ads that appear to offer unrealistic or questionable products or services.

To place your ad in The Daily Mississippian Classifieds section, visit: http://www.thedmonline.com/classifieds.

BECAUSE YOU’RE STRONG.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DOMINO’S

NOW HIRING DRIVERS

Getting a mental health diagnosis isn’t the end of life as you know it. It’s the beginning of your journey towards hope. Support yourself or loved ones by seeking mental health treatment.

CALL OR TEXT 988, OR FIND YOUR LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH CENTER: HOPEISHEREMS.COM/CMHC

Thole insert;

SCAN WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE CAMERA

Mississippi Department of Mental Health dmh.ms.gov

Faucet problem;

Apple product;

pal;

Poet Walter ___ Mare;

Authenticating mark;

Supporter;

band;

Sharon’s land;

Fizzy drink;

For fear that; DOWN

1- Soft cheese;

2- Permits;

3- Blind as ___;

4- Determined;

5- Holy city?;

6- Deadly virus;

7- Saab model;

8- Cereal grass;

9- Book of the New Testament;

10- Voice of America org.;

23- Sault ___ Marie;

25-

Recording of acoustic signals;

Twilled fabric;

Enthusiastic;

Hung. neighbor;

Pledge;

Why does Lamar Hall look different?

history professor specializing in ancient and medieval art, thinks brutalism is too rough a term for the architectural style.

Lamar Hall is widely known for its spacious lecture halls, P.O.D. market and rather unappealing exterior. However, Lamar Hall exemplifies how outside appearance is not the only thing that matters.

Unlike the predominantly neoclassical-inspired architecture of most of the University of Mississippi’s campus, Lamar Hall (1977) embodies an architectural style consistent with brutalism. Brutalist architecture rejects an overtly decorative design. Rather, it is marked by its rough, bulky surfaces, abstract shapes and its reliance on concrete.

Nancy Wicker, a UM art

“I think the label ‘brutalism’ is unfortunate. It’s not about being ‘brutal’ but rather about allowing the exterior to reveal functional aspects of architecture, showing the use of the interior of the building instead of having an exterior that masks the interior,” Wicker said.

This is reflective of the wider discourse surrounding brutalism. It is often criticized for its utilitarian aesthetic and overall inhuman quality. However, advocates for this architecture emphasize its inherent functionality, robust structuring and its capacity for artistic expression.

NOT MAGIC. FEELS

Throughout campus, you’re more likely to encounter neoclassical buildings such as the Lyceum (1848), Bryant Hall (1911) and many of the sorority and fraternity houses. Neoclassicism has roots in ancient Greek and Roman architecture and is characterized by its imposing scale, stately columns and domed roofing.

There are severe and observable differences in the underlying ideas behind both neoclassicism and brutalism. Neoclassicism is primarily focused on the value of idealism, wherein architects rely upon classic design, making their structures in harmony with the design rules of antiquity. Brutalism, though, emerged after WWII and remains heavily correlated with socialism. It was utilized by the Soviet Union and other socialist regimes due to its low cost and construction-efficient design. Mostly, brutalism emphasizes utility and simplicity – and a lot of raw concrete.

The neoclassical design, however, is steeped in undertones of white supremacy. This architecture is historically disconcerting to minority groups, as structures like these

often exist in correlation with slavery. Neoclassical designs harken back to the facades of Southern plantation homes and the racist ideals of the Old South. UM’s own reliance upon slave labor in the early days of the school’s construction likely informed its decision to erect architecture that coincided with an enduring desire for whiteness and antiquity.

Freshman general business major Christian Cecil shared how the history of Lamar Hall has changed his opinion.

“At first glance, Lamar Hall is a bit of an eyesore,” Cecil said. “However, once you consider the history of neoclassicism and its general racial impact, it definitely makes Lamar Hall’s ‘brutal’ exterior more appealing.”

Lamar Hall initially housed the university’s law school, and its brutalist design seemed to serve as a rejection of UM’s neoclassical foundation. The decision to construct the building for the study of law and justice in an architectural style that lacks this repressive history indicates a desire to create a new history that shuns racial inequity.

Freshman political science

major Wendi Sheehan noted how Lamar Hall’s architectural style is inconsistent with the rest of the buildings on campus.

“Though its interior is inviting and practically designed, the exterior of Lamar Hall is a deviation from the norm of UM’s greater architectural design,” Sheehan said.

Many UM students share the same sentiment. While the outside of the building is not the most appealing, students appreciate what is on the building’s inside.

“I think it’s kind of ugly from the outside, but very modern within. I especially like the upper floors with all of the windows,” freshman accounting and economics major Olivia Mardis said.

“The third floor has a little outdoor area by the writing center, and the fourth floor has the LGBTQ+ lounge that has a window of natural light that looks out over campus, so it’s really nice to sit in there.”

While some know Lamar Hall only for its brutalist exterior, its modern inside and historical context as a movement away from racism has put Lamar Hall in the hearts of many.

SCAN WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE CAMERA

Lamar Hall.

FILE PHOTO: LOGAN CONNER / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN