American Scene

ARIZONA

Medical pot applications made available online

PHOENIX | Medical marijuana is online in Arizona.

On Thursday morning, patients could begin to apply to get the drug to help treat cancer and other diseases.

Voters approved the legislation in November, making Arizona the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana.

The Department of Health Services said the application system will be entirely online, and anyone trying to apply in person or by phone will be turned away.

Department Director Will Humble sympathizes with people who aren’t computer-literate, but he said the system must be online to be efficient and cost-effective.

He said Arizona’s program is aimed at avoiding problems other states have experienced, such as large numbers of unqualified people obtaining pot.

Once approved, patients will be allowed to buy 2½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks or grow a limited amount themselves if they live at least 25 miles from a dispensary.

FLORIDA

Toddler is served sangria, not juice

LAKELAND | Olive Garden restaurants are making changes after a toddler was served alcoholic sangria instead of orange juice at a Florida location.

Before the incident, an Applebee’s in Michigan accidentally served a margarita to another toddler.

Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants says the mix-up happened March 31 in Lakeland.

Jill VanHeest said she took her 2-year-old son, Nikolai, to a hospital after his eyes turned red and dilated and he began acting up. She said he was given fluids and released a couple of hours later with no lasting effects.

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