Sky high: New survey results by Gallup show 22.9% of Louisianans report using mood-altering drugs almost every day, placing the state fifth on a ranking of states with the highest average use of such drugs. At 28.1%, West Virginians are most likely to report near-daily use of drugs or medications that alter their mood or help them relax, followed by residents of Rhode Island. Southern states make up six of the top 10 highest drug-use states, while Alaskans, Wyomingites and Californians are least likely to say they use such drugs almost every day. The results show 18.9% of Americans report using mood-altering drugs near-daily. See the full results.
Behind bars: For the first time in years, Louisiana’s prison population is starting to decline. As The Associated Press reports, Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc told lawmakers Tuesday that the state has seen a drop of about 3,000 state inmates since 2012. He credited a stronger focus on re-entry programs for inmates leaving prison and changes to sentencing laws. The secretary says that from 2006 to 2009, the state added an average of 1,200 new prisoners a year. LeBlanc told the House Appropriations Committee that if Louisiana had continued that pace, prison costs would have been $90 million higher next year, when the state is projected to have about 38,000 inmates. Louisiana has the nation’s highest incarceration rate.
Developing story: An explosion and ensuing fire on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico today left four dead and injured at least 16 others, according to the Pemex oil company. ABC News reports that Pemex, a Mexican state-run oil company, says 300 workers have been evacuated after the fire broke out on their Abkatun Permanente platform. Among those killed was a contractor for the Mexican oil services company Cotemar, according to Pemex. Employees who escaped told the Associated Press some people were forced to jump into the shallow waters to escape the blaze. Currently, there are eight fireboats fighting the blaze, according to Pemex. It is unclear how much fuel might have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the incident. Read the full story.
