Mercy Corps And NASA | Cannabis Research | Relief Nurseries

• The humanitarian agency Mercy Corps has teamed up with NASA to use satellite data and weather modeling to help people on the ground. The scientific data from NASA has helped farmers find access to water and improve yields in Niger. David Green is the disasters program director at NASA's Earth Science Division, and David Nicholson is the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Mercy Corps.

• The opioid crisis has hit the Tulalip Tribes hard — as it has many Native American communities. The Washington tribe has come up with a unique solution. They're putting $2 million towards research on cannabis as a treatment for opioid addiction. We hear from Les Parks, a tribal council member for the Tulalip Tribes and Annelise Barron, an associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford who is working on this research project.

• In 1976, a group of community leaders in Eugene came up with a new model to help prevent child abuse and neglect. They provided respite childcare to parents and called the program the Relief Nursery. Since then, Relief Nurseries have broadened the services they offer and have opened locations in dozens of other Oregon communities. We hear about how it works and talk to a family who received help through the program.

Contact "Think Out Loud"

If you'd like to comment on any of the topics in this show, or suggest a topic of your own, please get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter, send an email to thinkoutloud@opb.org, or you can leave a voicemail for us at 503-293-1983. The call-in phone number during the noon hour is 888-665-5865.