THURSDAY: Hemp, Coastal Erosion, University Tuition, and Insurance Commissioner

HOUR ONE: 

Chris Boucher joins us from California to discuss his hemp company, Cannavest.  "The word cannabis means canvas."  Boucher sent Jim a small container of hemp oil.  "Hemp oil is legal in all fifty states."  He comments on marijuana, "I think it's a states' rights issue at this point."  Boucher also says that the legalization of marijuana will decrease the amount of prisoners and therefore income for prisons.  

Spokesperson for the Coalition of Coastal Erosion Restoration for Louisiana Jimmy Frederick comments on what's being done to save the Louisiana coastline.  "We work to reconnect the Mississippi River to its wetlands."  Frederick says, "Just last year we planted 265,000 plants."  16 miles are lost each year to coastal erosion.  

Representative Franklin Foil discusses the recent Reveille story about a university's ability to change tuition prices.  "What I'm trying to do is give colleges the ability to raise fees in courses as they see fit," Foil says, "to give the university some flexibility as opposed to coming to the legislature for permission."   

Representative Foil comments on TOPS and says that he likes the TOPS program, but he thinks the GPA requirement should be higher. 

He thinks that the BESE Board should be the ones addressing any Common Core issues.  

Foil did not sign the Grover Norquist tax pledge.

"If there is any raising of a cigarette tax, we're going to have to make sure that money goes to higher education or healthcare."

Foil shares his new bill called the Able Act.  

HOUR TWO: 

Former Insurance Commissioner and Secretary of State Jim Brown shares his career in political life and his views on current events.  

"I was on a plane once with Edwin Edwards flying the plane dedicating a new hospital, and the door actually flew open."  

"<Mike Foster> He was very involved compared to Governor Jindal quite frankly."  

"If you're an American citizen, you're child ought to be conceived here," Jim Brown says.  He comments further on illegal aliens.  

Brown gives his opinion on the controversy surrounding higher education and the budget.  He calls Jindal "irresponsible" in his handling of the budget.  

"They all should do it," Brown says enthusiastically as he discusses the private email scandal with Hillary Clinton.  "Every major republican out there has done the same thing." 

He comments on the new change Facebook made, which allows users of the messenger app to send money from their debit cards to each other.