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Marijuana laws passed in states across the country
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A number of ballot initiatives across the country passed on Election night, many of which dealt with allowing recreational marijuana use. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
DeseretNews.com Web Team
Published: Nov 16, 2016, 4:29 PM
On a night when Donald Trumps presidential victory garnered attention nationwide, a slew of ballots and initiatives across multiple states were passed.

Ballots related to recreational and medicinal marijuana, minimum wage and health care all passed across the country.

Look at the hot-topic issues. Theyre representative of policies that have a lot of national pressure behind them, and policies that have had a lot of success in the past, Ballotpedia project director Josh Altic told Politico. These initiatives are mostly a response to gridlock or actual opposition in state legislatures.

Weve broken down the ballots that were passed below by topic.

Marijuana

  • Arizona voted against legalizing recreational marijuana, according to AZ Central. The rejection of proposition 205 keeps medical marijuana as prescription only in the state.
  • Arkansas voters passed Issue 6 to legalize medical marijuana. It narrowly passed four years after a 2012 measure failed, according to KFSM 5.
  • Florida also approved medical marijuana on election night. Early returns said more than 60 percent of the state approved the measure, one similar to a ballot that went to bat in 2014, according to Politico.
  • Maine's decision on recreational marijuana went late into the night, but The New York Times reported this morning that the measure had been approved.
  • Massachusetts also legalized recreational marijuana use, according to The Hill. This will allow adults who are 21 years old or older to use the drug without penalty.
  • Marijuana legalization also passed in Nevada, The Hill reported. Investors who supported the measure said they could "see business opportunities in the legal marijuana market," according to The Hill.
Minimum wage

  • Arizona passed a new initiative that will raise the minimum wage to $12 per hour by the year 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported.
  • Colorado approved a minimum wage hike, increasing wages to $12 per hour by the year 2020, 9 News reported.
  • Maine also passed minimum wage increases in the early hours of Wednesday morning, ABC News reported.
  • Like many other states Tuesday night, Washington passed an initiative to increase the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 per hour, KIRO-7 reported. The measure also allows workers to use paid sick leave when a family member is sick, or who dont go to work over domestic violence issues, according to KIRO-7.
Health care

Gun control

  • California passed Propositition 63 on Tuesday night, which will ban "possession of large-capacity magazines, mandates background checks and permits for ammunition purchases, requires individuals and businesses to report lost or stolen firearms, and makes all firearm thefts felonies, regardless of the value of the weapon," according to The Huffington Post.
Tobacco and taxes

  • California passed a new tobacco and income tax that will raise the price of a pack of cigarettes $2, accoridng to KCRA-3.
  • Colorado voters fended off a measure that would have raised taxes on cigarettes and tobacco, according to The Denver Post. The measure aimed to cut down on youth smoking and to help funnel money to health care.
  • Missouri voted not to increase a cigarette tax, according to KY3 News. The state's tax is already one of the lowest in the nation, but it will not see an increase moving forward.
  • North Dakota voters also rejected a tobacco tax hike, according to WDAY-6. The bill would have raised taxes to $2.20 per pack had it passed.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.