With just 53 days until the November election most state ballots across the country are now set and it is clear that this year should be a historic one for marijuana reform. In addition to there being two state initiative for medical marijuana this November, incredibly three states will be voting on whether or not to fully legalize marijuana for adults. That is the largest number of legalization initiative to ever appear on the ballot in any given election, and more importantly, there is a very good chance one or more of them will win approval.

With marijuana legalization initiatives on the ballot in an unprecedented 3 states, this November could be a turning point that begins a national wave of reform. To get there, we need to raise at least $5,000 over the next week to set up our phone bank, identify supporters, register voters, promote these initiatives and get folks to the polls on Election Day.

Farmers had already prepared for extreme weather events by purchasing more and more crop insurance in recent years. So when a historic drought hit this summer, many crop producers had the ability to handle it, although livestock producers seeing a spike in their feed costs still face major challenges. But the insurance industry will take a massive hit from crop insurance payouts, much of it reimbursed by the government, and that could rebound back to the economy.

It is official, this November the voters of Arkansas will have the opportunity to approve medical marijuana in their state. Yesterday the Arkansas Secretary of State certified that the Arkansans for Compassionate Care submitted at least 69,000 valid signatures for the ballot initiative, which is more than the 62,507 minimum requirement.

The Obama campaign has responded by saying that the President is a strong supporter of ethanol as a driver of the economy. The President was speaking in Iowa at the time. But even if you support ethanol – and studies show the corn-based version costs us more in energy to harvest than it’s worth – you cannot deny the economic harm created by the mandate at this time, given the drought conditions. The price spikes have caused a severe hardship for livestock producers in particular who use corn to feed their animals. The head of the UN’s food program, Jose Graziano da Silva, also called for a suspension of the ethanol mandate.

There is a good chance that voters of Arkansas will have the opportunity to legalize medical marijuana this November. The campaign Arkansans for Compassionate Care has recently turned into the Secretary of State’s office an additional 74,000 signatures, which the campaign believes is more than enough to get their initiative to qualify.

Since the Supreme Court ruled that the Medicaid expansion in the Affordable Care Act is voluntary for states, several Republican state governors have made it clear they will not take part. Many liberals claim that popular support and lobbying pressure will eventually force these governors to relent, but that may not be the case, according to a poll in Arkansas.

Arkansas, led by popular Democratic Governor Mike Beebe, has done a cost analysis of the Medicaid expansion, finding that it would save the state $372 million. The state could face slightly higher costs in the out years. But will conservative governors be swayed by this type of analysis?

Breaking a united front in the Republican Party that goes back a number of years, freshman GOP Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) will unveil a millionaire’s surtax proposal today.

The Grover Norquist excommunication ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday.

A provocative new video from Brave New Films exposes what appear to be serious environmental crimes in Crossett, Arkansas, caused by waste product at a Georgia-Pacific plant. Georgia-Pacific is owned by Koch Industries.