Health

The number of mentally ill prisoners in Kansas has increased by 126 percent since 2006. Nearly two out of every five adult inmates in Kansas are classified as mentally ill.

Republican Senator Steve Fitzgerald blames the spike on the state's failure to develop an effective, community-based system of treatment. His district includes Lansing Correctional Facility.

Fitzgerald says Kansas Department of Corrections Secretary Ray Roberts is by default the provider of last resort for a growing group of people with mental illness.

Kansas has lots of work to do to improve its "grades" on tobacco control, according to a new report card from the American Lung Association.

Kansas gets an “A” for its Clean Indoor Air Act. However, the state gets a “D” for the relatively low rate of taxes on tobacco, and an “F” for efforts to prevent tobacco use, and to help those already using it to quit.

“It’s not a whole lot different than last year, but it’s woefully accurate,”says Linda DeCoursey, head of the non-profit Tobacco-Free Kansas Coalition.

Kansas is among the 10 states that are currently being hit hardest with the flu virus.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says there have now been 495 flu-related deaths in the 2012-2013 season that began in October. That number includes 35 deaths in the last week.

The number comes at the tail end of the worst week for Kansas so far in this year's flu season.

KDHE spokesperson Miranda Steele, says the rate is now starting to drop, with infection rates in Kansas down from more that 5 percent to 4.5 percent.

A bill introduced in the Kansas Senate would make it legal for patients with some medical conditions to use marijuana, with a doctor's prescription.

Senate Bill 9 was introduced by Democratic Senator David Haley, of Kansas City. Medical marijuana is already legal in 18 states, plus the District of Columbia.

Haley says it’s an issue of basic compassion.

“This becomes a pretty common-sense approach to that, especially when the alternative is to crowd our jails and prisons with people who only wanted to alleviate personal pain,” he says.