Parents' Marijuana Possession Gets Their Kids Taken Away

It was a small amount of marijuana, but it cost a Bronx parent dearly.

The New York Times has a story about New York City caseworkers taking away the son and niece of Penelope Harris, after police found 10 grams of marijuana in her apartment (which is less than the limit threshold for a misdemeanor) according to her lawyer.

The piece is only the latest controversial story involving New York marijuana policy.

In February, it was reported that the NYPD arrested 50,383 people for having marijuana in 2010. That made it the number one reason for arrest in the city.

In March, news broke that New York spent $75 million last year putting people in jail for pot possession.

Last spring, drug policy reform advocates and two members of the City Council gave New York City a satirical award for having the most marijuana arrests in the world.

Go to the New York Times to read Ms. Harris' story.

RELATED VIDEO:

Comments

[backyardboogie]

11:14 AM on 08/28/2011

hmm...sounds like we're missing some information here. Why is there a case worker in this woman's home in the first place?

[citizensrus]

05:53 PM on 08/28/2011

From the article in the NYT:
"The police had reported her arrest to the state’s child welfare hot line, and city caseworkers quickly arrived and took the children away."

"Hundreds of New Yorkers who have been caught with small amounts of marijuana, or who have simply admitted to using it, have become ensnared in civil child neglect cases in recent years, though they did not face even the least of criminal charges, according to city records and defense lawyers. A small number of parents in these cases have even lost custody of their children.

New York City’s child welfare agency said that it was pursuing these cases for appropriate reasons, and that marijuana use by parents could often hint at other serious problems in the way they cared for their children."

[backyardboogie]

07:03 PM on 08/28/2011

Thanks.

[Andrew Haag]

10:02 PM on 08/27/2011

This is ridiculous. There is absolutely no logical reason for pot to be illegal in this country. By making it illegal, we support a massive black market, leave people at risk to laced quantities of the drug, miss out on desperately needed tax revenues, deny patients access to a wonderful painkiller, and spend millions prosecuting and detaining "criminals". For what? A silly social stigma? All that does is deny the existence of part of our culture that is obviously there. Opponents argue a slippery slope that might lead to the legalization of significantly more dangerous drugs such as cocaine, heroin and crystal meth. There is an extremely large jump between those two and there are very few people who want to see those drugs also become legal. There are also worries of people driving while intoxicated, but don't we have the same worry with drunk drivers? Or the smell. News flash, cigarettes smell far worse than pot. To address this article, these parents did not even have enough to be considered for a misdemeanor. This whole debate is a waste of time and a waste of our country's resources.

[iatworld]

08:46 PM on 08/27/2011

Those blaming repu's, this is in New York ,the leftist state in the union, Plus Obama says one thing and does another."Last month, the DEA raided at least 28 medical marijuana dispensaries in Montana and California.

These raids – and many before them – break President Obama's promise that he would not use "justice department resources to circumvent state laws" on medical marijuana." http://www.drugpolicy.org/

[citizensrus]

05:00 PM on 08/28/2011

Left isn't really left anymore. It doesn't resemble democratic views and values as established under FDR. Today, the DLC is the standard for the "left", or the Democratic Party.
Republicans are so far right, Sandra Day O'Connor is considered a liberal by most Republicans and she has warned the nation of totalitarianism in the Supreme Court.
We as a nation have no middle ground as well as no middle class.
Governor of New York is a KOCH BROS. governor,regardless of his political party as D.
Bloomberg, once a Democratic, then a Republican, now an Independent is hardly a "leftist". He has made his views on Marijuana known, despite the fact he once smoked the illegal substance.
Here is what Bloomberg's position on marijuana is:
http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/Bloomberg/Marijuana.php

[fashinrashin]

02:32 PM on 08/27/2011

Hey ROCK...why wind up the natives so much ? you know it will cause high blood pressure and they will have to take some kind of meds for that....Frankly I think you work for the drug companies and your mission today was to wind them up...The drug companies need them sales eh ?

[William Holder]

08:49 AM on 08/27/2011

Absolutely rediculous!!! A study in Great Britain awhile back found that there was a link to alcohol in 80% of all crime. It is a fact that alcohol is far more likely to result in violence and dangerous behaviour. The EOC will defend a person on Methadone treatment but we take kids away for pot. This is crazy and we need some kind of reform - NOW.

[althepal55]

03:38 PM on 08/26/2011

In the state of California, the allegations about a most greedy, collusive and abusive Family Law Industry are prompting long overdo Audits of only the most egregious, substantiated cases. The resistance from the state Judicial Council and Chief Justice appears to be quite strong and self-protecting.

http://www.youtube.com/user/althepal55?feature=mhee#p/a/u/1/raPey-ARdPs

It is quite easy for the Courts to mischaracterize a situation and remove children for a protracted and expensive, all-expense paid, stay in the related, Foster Care systems.

I know.. I have been a Parenting Educator and At-Risk Youth counselor in Northern California for nearly 12 years. I allege that my 15-year old daughter was abducted by the very same system by an 85 year old, agrarian, 18-YEAR veteran, "Assigned Judge." That's a judge who retires, gets full pension and benefits, and gets paid to help with court overload for a 30 to 60 DAY stretch... In addition to the golden parachute, the assigned judge gets about $800 dollars a day for PART-TIME work... Thanks, to the tax payers and rubber-stamping Chief Justices.

Now *THAT's* a story for the HuffPost!!
https://profiles.google.com/115902390478619061589/about

[bebop8]

09:07 PM on 08/25/2011

the only reason mary jane is illegal is because the alcohol industry has a monopoly on how we are allowed to get high legally. think about this. how many pot smokers do you see in the emergency room on the weekends? but you darn sure see a whole lot of drunks in there every weekend. i made this point to a nurse when we were dating as i smoke a big fat one and all she could do was agree. the real point is, mother nature knows how to get us high without totally impairing our senses. by the way, i'm a recovering alcoholic, and still a smoker with no adverse problems.

[rock0267]

03:41 PM on 08/25/2011

You can tell all of the potheads in here by their defense of these criminals.

[KingKrub]

04:45 PM on 08/25/2011

You are an entry level thinker.

[Daniel Saunders]

05:38 PM on 08/25/2011

Riddle me this, when prohibition was repealed in 1933 how did horrible people make the transition from hardened criminal drunkards to law-abiding citizens? Could it be that they were exactly the same people and the only thing that changed was the way the government treated them? Try not to think to hard...

[rock0267]

03:37 PM on 08/25/2011

I can't believe you people who are defending these criminals. They still possessed enough for a misdemeanor. It's still a CRIME to have this drug. It is illegal. Comparing it to being drunk (a legal product) is apples and oranges. Are you people all high? (I think I know the answer).

[Daniel Saunders]

05:31 PM on 08/25/2011

Yes, apples and oranges...because one of these substances are physically addictive and can easily kill you if you use to much. Guess which one can kill you? Just because alcohol, ibuprofen and vicodin are all "legal drugs" doesn't make them any less dangerous or harmful, quite the opposite. Seriously, go consume a large bottle of any of those and you will have a one way ticket to the emergency room. But if you smoked a joint the size of a telephone pole you would die from oxygen deprivation before the THC got anywhere close to hurting you. It's just not toxic enough, educate yourself a little bit. The only reason its a CRIME is because people made it a CRIME...if you actually base your moral structure around what is legal and illegal you must be a super fun person.

[mapplebe]

11:32 PM on 08/25/2011

Right - a misdemeanor, not a felony, not anything serious enough to revoke parental rights in any other circumstances alone.

[AlOliver]

11:27 AM on 08/25/2011

Are you kidding me? You take away someone's kids because of MJ? Whoever arranged that scenario should banned from public office for life and have their kids taken away to boot. Obviously, they themselves are not qualified to raise kids if they make decisions like that.

Insanity. Pure insanity!

[rock0267]

03:38 PM on 08/25/2011

They still broke the law.

[KingKrub]

04:46 PM on 08/25/2011

Entry level thinker party of one....

[John Hunt]

05:42 PM on 08/25/2011

Oh my lord! A misdemeanor offense warrants the removal of children? Let us use some common sense in these matters.

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

09:03 AM on 08/25/2011

$75 million spent last year in New York putting people in jail for simple possession.

What a travesty.

The war on drugs is another far Right, ill-conceived, misguided, just-plain-wrong, policy fail.

It's high time to end the marijuana prohibition.

[rock0267]

03:39 PM on 08/25/2011

Yeah, we don't need to spend money to put murderers, arsonists or anybody away. It's all a travesty!!! hey, man, ya got a light?

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

06:41 PM on 08/25/2011

non sequitur

[BillyBrewer]

01:12 PM on 08/27/2011

Wait what? Democrats are right at the front of the line in Washington to keep marijuana illegal. They get their campaign contributions from the same pro alcohol and tobacco lobby. Obama has had plenty of opportunity to relax government policy with regards to marijuana and has refused to do so.

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

02:42 PM on 08/27/2011

Cowardly conservative politicians on both sides of D/R divide.

[srooge]

01:36 AM on 08/25/2011

Level one drug. They would still have their children if they had a meth lab instead.

[shailesh shah]

10:49 PM on 08/24/2011

How many thousands in NY are legally drunk everyday and driving, or operating equipment under influence? Shouldn't the legal system be fair? How many of these are prosecuted, and lose their chidren? Alcohol is the most abused drug on earth, and it is advertised as if it is THE ELIXIR OF LIFE!

[rock0267]

03:40 PM on 08/25/2011

Last I checked, alcohol is legal. No comparison.

[Jerome Staisnick]

04:12 PM on 08/25/2011

Yes Rock, And you believe ALL laws are just, and ALL authority is good. Pleae move to Iran and see how that flies.

[Andrew Landgraf]

05:31 PM on 08/25/2011

Since when does doing something illegal entitle the government to take away your children? Smoking weed is definitely safer than ANY traffic violation with a child in the car.

[Sum Dude]

03:01 PM on 08/24/2011

Amazing. Spend hundreds of millions of dollars to persecute and destroy the lives of cannabis consumers, meanwhile school budgets are slashed and teachers are fired by the hundreds.

So wrong.

[rock0267]

03:40 PM on 08/25/2011

yeah, your argument makes sense (not).

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

06:39 PM on 08/25/2011

Simple and cliched

[Bob Rousseau]

01:14 PM on 08/24/2011

That's what happens when you have a republican Mayor. Paranoia and stupidity. Republicans are the party of paranoid.

[Patriot 70]

07:37 PM on 08/24/2011

Democrats passed the law, silly.

[bebop8]

09:09 PM on 08/25/2011

ronald reagan had the first drug czar. duh. he was a republican if i'm not wrong silly boy.