Please explain what “non-select” division means in LHSAA athletics.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association convened a special meeting in October with the only agenda item before it to decide what constitutes a “select” school.

The year prior, the LHSAA Executive Committee changed the definition of select schools to include charter, magnet and schools with open enrollment.

Proponents praised the LHSAA’s decision at the time but opponents claimed the executive committee overstepped its authority and they filed an injunction in 19th Judicial District Court. That motion was granted on Aug. 21, 2022

The presiding judge in the case later ruled the executive committee’s definition of select should have been voted on by LHSAA members.

That vote took place Oct. 3, 2023, with 68 percent of the member schools voting in favor of the new select definition. Principals and/or their designees voted 259-126 to maintain the definition.

There are now four select and four non-select playoff divisions in football; five of each in basketball, baseball and softball. Other sports — such as soccer, track and field and volleyball — are not split in the postseason.

Marijuana classification

Why is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considering a move to reclassify marijuana?

Marijuana has a lower potential for abuse than other drugs that are subjected to the same restrictions, researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration report in documents supporting its reclassification as a Schedule III substance.

Marijuana is currently classified as Schedule I, which is reserved for dangerous controlled substances such as heroin and LSD.

Although marijuana has a “high prevalence of nonmedical use” in the U.S., it doesn’t seem to elicit serious outcomes compared with drugs such as heroin, oxycodone and cocaine, the FDA researchers say.

The members of the FDA’s Controlled Substance Staff said they recommend the Drug Enforcement Administration reschedule marijuana because it meets three criteria: a lower potential for abuse than other substances on Schedules I and II, a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S. and a risk of low or moderate physical dependence in people who abuse it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse supports the recommendation.

Twenty-four states, two territories and Washington, D.C., have already legalized cannabis for adult recreational use, and 38 states allow medical use of cannabis products, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Informer is written by Crystal Stevenson, American Press executive editor. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.