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Saturday, April 25, 2015

Medical Marijuana Mom's Son Seized After He Talks About Pot's Benefits

A mother already suffering from a debilitating medical condition now must fight the state of Kansas to maintain her parental rights.

Shona Banda, a well-known activist, published a book “Live Free or Die” detailing how she found relief from Crohn’s disease after using cannabis oil. Banda’s primary concern now is keeping custody of her son. This because her son’s school contacted child protective services after he attempted to argue about the harms of marijuana during a classroom talk. Child Protective Services then removed Banda’s son from the school.

This story may seem ridiculous to some.

The reality is this happens all the time in our country and it is a lesser-known atrocity of the drug war. Due to mandatory reporting requirements, the staff at the school may have been under a duty to involve Child Protective Services if Banda’s son admitted marijuana was in his home. This type of blanket approach is rarely in the immediate best interests of the child and reflects the immense amount of stigma associated with illicit drug use.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If companies keep screening for drugs in states where it is legal or medically legal, they will be challenged in court with law suits for discrimination. If they were denied employment for cocaine or heroin that's different. Cigarettes are really bad for us but it's OK to smoke because tobacco lobbyists throw money around to the right people. The-Times-They-Are--A-Changin'

Tobacco companies and big pharmacy don't want it to be legal as it will cut into their profits. It is going to happen, since they can't beat it, they both should join it, promote it and create jobs.