Collier County Commissioners have never been known as a progressive group of people. Especially when it comes to medical marijuana and cannabis.
In a "shocking" development, NBC-2 reports that Collier officials voted Tuesday night to continue their ban on legal (in the state of Florida) medical marijuana dispensaries. The subject was brought up during a board meeting last month where an amendment was considered. This would allow cannabis dispensaries in the same areas as pharmacies in Collier County. Of course, that discussion evolved into banning dispensaries within Collier County.
The mayor of Naples was among those strongly encouraging the commission to keep the ban in place. She urged people to be cautious about allowing medical marijuana in Collier County because of the long-term effects it has on people. It was not apparent that she had any scientific evidence of these effects.
A representative from My Florida Green raised concerns that some patients with disabilities might struggle to go to Marco Island or Bonita Springs to get their medicine. They pay a lot of money to live in Collier County and should be allowed to purchase their medicine from a dispensary near to them.
For now, people cannot buy medical marijuana in Collier County except for on Marco Island. In the meantime, expect many more dispensaries to pop up along Bonita Beach Road, just north of the Collier County line in Lee County.
How Florida Ranks In 2023’s Most & Least Educated States in America
With BLS data showing a correlation between higher education levels, higher income and lower unemployment rates, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023's Most & Least Educated States in America, as well as expert commentary. So How does Florida rank in the Most & Least Educated States in America study? In order to determine the most educated states, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 18 metrics that examined the key factors of a well-educated population. Educational attainment, school quality as well as achievement gaps between genders and races.
For millions of Americans, a good education is the ticket to a better future. College opens doors to more career opportunities, higher earnings and new social connections, among other benefits. But how much schooling one receives also matters to some extent. Generally, the higher the level of education one completes, the higher their income potential and the lower their chances of unemployment become.
Some states are able to provide better quality education than others, though. In this study, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 18 metrics that examined the key factors of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races.
How educated is Florida? (1=Most; 25=Avg.):
Main Findings
Most Educated States
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
% of High-School Diploma Holders
- 1. Montana
- 2. Vermont
- 3. New Hampshire
- T-4. Wyoming
- T-4. Maine
- 46. New Mexico
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. Mississippi
- 49. Texas
- 50. California
% of Associate's Degree Holders or College-Experienced Adults
- 1. Colorado
- 2. Utah
- 3. Washington
- 4. Minnesota
- 5. Oregon
- 46. Mississippi
- 47. Kentucky
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. Louisiana
- 50. West Virginia
% of Bachelor's Degree Holders
- 1. Massachusetts
- 2. Colorado
- 3. Maryland
- 4. New Jersey
- 5. Vermont
- 46. Kentucky
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. West Virginia
% of Graduate- or Professional-Degree Holders
- 1. Massachusetts
- 2. Maryland
- 3. Connecticut
- 4. Virginia
- 5. New York
- 46. Nevada
- 47. Mississippi
- 48. North Dakota
- T-49. Arkansas
- T-49. West Virginia
Avg. University Quality
- 1. Massachusetts
- 2. Connecticut
- 3. Rhode Island
- 4. Wisconsin
- 5. New Hampshire
- 46. Idaho
- 47. Hawaii
- 48. South Dakota
- 49. West Virginia
- 50. Colorado
Methodology
In order to determine the most and least educated states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions, Educational Attainment and Quality of Education.
We examined those dimensions using 18 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “most educated.” In certain metrics where women showed an advantage over men and black people over white people, we gave equal credit to the states with no gender/racial inequality. These metrics were marked accordingly with an asterisk (*).
We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.
Educational Attainment - Total Points: 60
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap - Total Points: 40
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. News & World Report, Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, National Summer Learning Association, The Campaign for Free College Tuition, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, U.S. Department of Education, The College Board and WalletHub research.
