Mom gives 8yr old pot to control hyperactivity

[Heretic.Ape.]

POT USED TO 'CONTROL' GIRL'S HYPERACTIVITY

Judge Calls It 'Extreme' Abuse, Sentences Mother To Nine Months Of House Arrest

A Sarnia woman who used marijuana to control her eight-year-old daughter's hyperactivity was placed under house arrest for nine months Monday.

The 34-year-old mother pleaded guilty in Sarnia court to marijuana trafficking because she gave the marijuana to her child.

Outside the courtroom federal prosecutor Michael Robb said the child was given marijuana several times a week, but there was no indication how long it had been done.

Tests showed residual evidence of marijuana in the child's system.

The Children's Aid Society was notified of the problem after the girl told a teacher she was taking marijuana. The mother was charged in fall of 2006.

Justice Mark Hornblower called it "extreme" abuse and said the mother did not appear to fully understand how wrong it was.

The court heard the mother had been suffering from depression.

Defence lawyer David Stoesser told the court the mother was responding to treatment. But Robb said the follow-up to initial treatment has been a problem.

The woman had no prior criminal record and Hornblower said sufficient resources to help the woman could not be provided if she was in a jail setting.

During house arrest the woman must undergo counselling and is prohibited from using drugs or alcohol, and she cannot allow anyone with drugs into her house.

Also, she can be instructed to undergo drug testing and police can enter her home at any time to ensure she is complying with the conditions.

Following the house arrest she will be on probation for two years, during which she must continue counselling.

Contact with her daughter must be approved by authorities or in accordance with a family court order.

There can be no reuniting with her daughter unless she takes the needed steps, Hornblower said.

The woman's name has not been published to protect the child.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

This is a really difficult subject,it makes one question when is it okay for someone to smoke weed?Swim would have no problem with a mother sharing weed with her child but at eight?Swim didn't start til he was 12 atleast!Okay swim really can't think of anything to say because this issue is just filled with so many issues and..

[hh339]

I would say that it is comparable to giving kids methylphenidate or amphetamine, if it was a serious case of hyper-activity, which I assume means ADHD/DAMP.

[Bajeda]

I would disagree with a course of action as such, just like I'd disagree with giving children that young poweful stimulants as medication.

Still, this is an example of how hypocritical our society can be. We give kids powerful and addictive substances like candy and say its totally safe because its "medical", yet this woman gets demonized for giving her kid a hit.

[Trebor]

Parenbts will do anything to get their kids to eat the vegetables.

Reputation Comments on this post:

funny

[snapper]

SWIM is skeptical that smoking at 14 would stunt growth. SWIM is tall and started to smoke at age 11 (tobacco and weed) and both parents are far shorter. SWIM is just one data point, but remembers reading an article debunking this theory ...
Anyways, it is wrong to drug children as they do not know the full implications of altering their consciousness. Same argument can be made for giving mind-altering drugs to animals. This applies to ADD drugs in children as well. SWIM feels that physical side effects aside, the effects of psychoactive drugs on emotional and intellectual development are unclear and could be very damaging. SWIM does not doubt that some kids would be fine with it, but for others it could cause a huge number of problems. Teenagers are already paranoid and neurotic, and giving them something that enhances that could be very socially stunting and lead to them being introverted Drugs-Forum addicts as adults ..
Keep in mind that prior to prohibition in the early 1900s, cannabis was a common sedative ingredient in all kinds of over the counter remedies, including sedatives for children. So was opium, morphine and heroin...
All that said, if one had to choose between cannabis, speed or an antipsychotic to sedate a child and all worked, which would one rather give?

[Heretic.Ape.]

"lead them to being introverted Drugs-Forum addicts as adults"
*gasp*

[Twiglet]

Hang on , We give drugs to children all the time, What are you saying? This mother gave her daughter probably the safest drug imaginable, to calm her down.(never has so much money been spent on a plant looking for something harmfull in it somewhere)(only to find many medicine's) I think that taking this 8 year old away from her mum is sick, and all the authority people involved should be shot dead.

[Bio-Cellular Enigma]

SWIM agrees that taking the child away from the mother is probably a FAR more damaging act than giving the child marijuana. Of course, the consequences of prohibition are almost always more damaging than the substance being prohibited, so this is nothing unusual. Lives are routinely trampled in the mad stampede to eliminate harmless amounts of nearly harmless substances.

[Pinkavvy]

Marijuana is a good medical treatment for kids with ADHD. It's a shame this stupid country would prosecute a mother for using a NATURAL medication that WORKS on their children. They would rather the kid be fed all kinds of pharm company produced amphetamines instead.

I like the woods. Nobody to tell you what your family can and can't do.