Editor’s note: This story has been corrected since original publication. An earlier version misidentified the owners of Cane Land Distilling. The owners are Walter Tharp and Alma Plantation & Sugar Mill. Daily Report regrets the error.
Sewing seeds: Southern University is inviting potential vendors and the public to attend a town hall meeting about the university’s planned medical marijuana venture. The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at A.O. Williams Hall, 181 B.A. Little Dr.. In advance of the meeting, Southern is requesting that vendors email all questions to Dr. Janana Snowden at janana_snowden@suagcenter.com by noon on Tuesday. The questions will be addressed during the meeting. The state Legislature gave Southern and LSU the first rights of refusal to produce medical marijuana in Louisiana, and both universities are moving ahead with the ventures. LSU expects to hire a contractor for its medical marijuana program by June, with the first crop expected to be ready by the end of the year. Register to attend next week’s meeting.
Shore to shore: Cane Land Distilling says barrels of its premium whiskey, Original Mississippi Floated Whiskey, have arrived at the Port of New Orleans after a nearly 20-day nautical trip from Kentucky and will soon be at its downtown Baton Rouge distillery. Cane Land, which is owned by Walter Tharp and Alma Plantation & Sugar Mill, is partnering with a Tennessee distillery to bring the five-year-aged whisky to market. Once in Baton Rouge, the whisky will be finished in French cognac barrels at Cane Land’s downtown facility at 760 St. Phillip St. The Original Mississippi Floated Whiskey will be available to consumers in late spring.
Getting out: Now that it’s planned $37 billion merger with Aetna is off, Humana says it will stop selling insurance in the Affordable Care Act marketplace next year. The Los Angeles Times reports the move threatens to rattle jittery insurance markets and further complicate Republicans’ push to repeal and replace the ACA. Humana attributes its action to mounting losses caused by sicker-than-expected consumers. It is the first major insurer to pull back completely amid the mounting uncertainty over the GOP’s still undefined healthcare plans, though other leading health plans have exited marketplaces over the last year, citing losses. Read the full story.
