CLICKHEREx Posted March 14, 2014 "But how do you put together all these pieces of information, of evidence, that a child is or isn't safe?"The answers can be as variable as the homes where medical marijuana is used. Piraino says issues related to medical marijuana use and parenthood have started to come up for his agency, but not yet in a significant way. He notes that any drug in the home carries risks, including potential lack of attention to children's needs and physical danger stemming from possible ingestion, but that the extent of those risks with medical marijuana is not clear. Aaron and Shawnee bristle at the ongoing debate about their parenting, and worse, the notion that their use of cannabis could raise concerns about abuse or neglect of their child. They say their son is healthy, happy and nurtured. What brought police officers to their home in early January, they say, was an anomaly -- a loud argument. The clamor was heard by a neighbor, who called the police. When officers later entered their home to investigate, they discovered loose marijuana, cannabis oil, and marijuana cigarettes strewn on the desk in the couple's living room. The living room smelled like marijuana. (Aaron says the smell was lingering from the couple medicating the night before, after their son fell asleep.) "What I want you to understand is your baby doesn't need to be subject to marijuana," said one officer in the police video. Shawnee responds, "What makes you think he is?" "Because your house really smelled bad of marijuana," said the officer. The smell of marijuana, a home in a disarray, medical cannabis that was visible -- albeit out of the boy's reach -- are the roots of the ongoing case against them. "We would never allow our children to get into our medical marijuana," said Aaron, adding that he believes stigma against the plant is at the heart of his and other cases. "If (law enforcement and CPS) had come in, even if it was a couple of empty beer bottles or a wine bottle, I don't think anybody would have raised an eyebrow. "I had the impression that we had turned this corner," he added. "That we had moved past that stigma." "Is the child happy? Is the child loved? Is the child well cared for?" said Arnold, who stressed that she has no specific information about Shawnee and Aaron's case, but views it through the lens of countless other families she's counseled. "Marijuana on a desk does not mean they're abusing or neglecting the child." Nor does growing and using marijuana, said Green, the Michigan mother whose 6-month-old daughter was removed from her custody for two months last September. According to Michigan law, both Green and her husband, Steve, are allowed to use cannabis medically -- she to treat multiple sclerosis, her husband to treat epilepsy. And she is allowed to grow a certain number of plants to supply to other patients. Green says the plants were grown behind a locked door -- the children never had access to them -- and the couple never medicated in front of the children. They kept the marijuana they used locked up. She says a custody battle with her ex-husband, involving a son from a previous marriage, led CPS to her door, and she says despite the pains they had taken to shield their children from the marijuana, Bree was removed from the home and assigned to protective custody. A major issue debated during the case: whether marijuana plants grown in the Green home increased the danger of armed robbery and thus posed a serious safety issue for children in the home -- in other words, whether theoretical risk of harm to a child constitutes a serious safety concern. Green and other advocates say that theoretical, potential risk is not enough. "I find it very scary that parents can have children taken away for something that's a potential," said Arnold.As a consequence of Bree's removal, Maria and Steve Green were ordered to stop using medical cannabis. She says she suffered some pain and had to use a walker at intervals, but Steve was worse off. He suffered nine or 10 seizures during the two months Bree spent in foster care. "You've got these parents having to choose between their medicine and their family," said Arnold. "That's an impossible choice, especially if your medicine makes you functional enough to parent." Green says that medical marijuana patients may not realize the risk of a run-in with CPS. She advises patients not to become too lax, and to realize that not everyone -- including law enforcement, CPS, and the judicial system -- views the marijuana plant through the same lens. "Think about what are you doing with the meds, where are you smoking, who is watching your kids when you're smoking or under the influence?" said Green. "Have those things in place." "My advice to parents is to really go out of your way to make sure (your children) are not exposed to it." After spending a few days in jail -- and their son spending 12 days in foster care -- Aaron and Shawnee say they now understand. They are setting aside their views about marijuana as a medical treatment, and view it -- at least temporarily -- as a potential barrier to maintaining their family unit. That does not ease their confusion about the law, or their conviction that the plant has medicinal value. "There are families out there ... destroyed over a medicinal plant," said Aaron. "It's baffling." By Stephanie Smith,Updated 8:29 AM EDT, Thu March 13, 2014CNNhttp://www.cnn.com/2014/03/12/health...juana-parents/ The Newhawks Crew Post Quality Evaluations: A valuable article for this section; of particular interest to those legally prescribed MM with children. Read more: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239860#ixzz2vuQX9h8i Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted March 14, 2014 I would simply state that cannabis use, medicinal or not, equals better parenting than alcohol use. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Resistance Posted March 14, 2014 (edited) What a nice start to the day! I wake up, (lost cause alcoholics around me as usual, but fuck em, I ain't scared. I've witnessed it since year one of my life. And I'm now days away from being 22. Days away from being .22 too - jokes) I go on the computer to check The Corroboree, first thing I happen to read is the title of this thread... I click on it, not even reading the original post, I'm just curious as to what people reply, because I've heard this all before too many times. And what a pleasant surprise!! There is at least one other person in the world who a belief with me!! I would simply state that cannabis use, medicinal or not, equals better parenting than alcohol use. High five Responsible Choice!! Couldn't have said it better myself Edited March 14, 2014 by The Resistance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted March 14, 2014 "Better parenting" comes from "good" parents....you know - engaging and caring adults...that actually care more for the kids welfare than themselves. I've seen plenty of smokers neglect and abuse their kids....seen more pissheads do it though ....but it happens...and its far from isolated cases. Also seen some pretty good pisshead parents.... So lets not go putting all weed users (medicinal and recreational) in the same boat....its like saying all Christians are good parents...lol I've witnessed child protection react quicker and harder to "good "parents that smoke, than neglectful/abusing pisshead parents as well so there is an obvious bias in the systems, but hey its not medical cannabis use here..... Could hurt kids with fckn Panadol worse though or a myriad of other common things that gets kids hospitalised every day.... "My advice to parents is to really go out of your way to make sure (your children) are not exposed to it." ahhhh....yeah good advice...its still looking of a case of monkey say, but not monkey do based on the reported accusations of this case..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted March 15, 2014 The only reasons I would equate cannabis use with better parenting than alcohol use are: - cannabis is WAAAAAYY less harmful to the user and those around them & - if a small child gets a hold of a six pack of bacardi breezers it could be lethal. If it gets its hands on a joint and maybe eats it or something not much is going to happen. Certainly not death. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
