France hates fun parties

29 people were injured by a seemingly intentional explosion last night around 9 pm in Chelsea. This came hours after a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey yesterday morning along the path of a 5K race. The device was set to go off via timer, but the race had been delayed due to registration issues. No injuries were reported there. (NBC New York)

Bad news for Solo cup users: Effective in 2020, plastic cups and plates will be banned in France. The law comes as part of greater French initiatives to help the environment, and it faces predictable objection from companies on the grounds of European free trade regulations. (RFI)

Good news for marijuana lobbyists: according to a new study, states with medical marijuana laws have lower rates of opioid usage. The article obtained its opioid statistics by analyzing the drugs present in drivers fatally wounded in car crashes. (American Journal of Public Health)

While Columbia’s football game yesterday was nothing of interest, The Rice University Marching Band drew the ire of cross-state rival Baylor by forming an “IX” on the field in reference to Title IX and a recent sexual assault scandal. (Texas Tribune)

The police department of Chicago, a city whose crime and police brutality rates have been increasingly politicized, followed the leads of Seattle, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles by rolling out de-escalation training for its 12,500 police officers. (Chicago Tribune)

dignified drinking goblets via Shutterstock