The US’ silent war on Cannabis Mothers
The War on Drugs, that grand American experiment in prohibition and punishment, has left a trail of destruction in its wake that's hard to fathom. For over half a century, this misguided crusade has torn families apart, filled prisons to bursting, and shattered countless lives. The numbers are staggering - millions incarcerated, families left in financial ruin, and communities decimated. And for what? A war that has failed to stem the tide of drug use or addiction, instead criminalizing health issues and personal choices.
But the casualties of this war aren't spread evenly across society. Oh no, that would be too fair. Instead, it's minority communities and the poor who've borne the brunt of this assault on personal freedom. The scales of justice, it seems, are tipped heavily against those with the wrong skin color or too little cash in their pockets.
Yet amidst all this well-documented carnage, there's a silent battle being waged that few are talking about. It's a war on mothers, fought through the insidious weaponization of Child Protective Services. Even in states where cannabis has been legalized, moms are finding themselves in the crosshairs, their children torn from their arms over a joint or an edible.
It's a twisted irony - in a country where wine mom culture is celebrated and kids are medicated for ADHD at the drop of a hat, a mom who uses cannabis to unwind or manage chronic pain can lose everything. The same system that's supposed to protect children is being used to traumatize them, all in the name of a plant that's less harmful than alcohol.
In this article, we're going to peel back the curtain on this hidden front of the War on Drugs. We'll explore how overzealous policies and outdated stigmas are destroying families and harming the very children they claim to protect. It's time to shine a light on this cruel and unnecessary aspect of cannabis prohibition - a reminder that even as legalization spreads, the tentacles of the War on Drugs continue to squeeze the life out of American families.
A few cases of human suffering
I recently dove into a deeply disturbing Rolling Stone article that shed light on a hidden front of the War on Drugs - the targeting of cannabis-using mothers. It's a long, gut-wrenching piece, but I'll try to distill some of the key points here. Fair warning, folks - this isn't a feel-good story.
Let's start with Doshia Givens, a single mom in Cleveland. After a horrific car accident left her in crippling pain, she opted for cannabis instead of addictive opioids to manage her suffering. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, Child Protective Services didn't think so. When her daughter Selah tested positive for THC after a routine hospital visit, Doshia was deemed an "imminent risk" to her child. Within 24 hours, they were torn apart. All because a mother chose a safer pain management option in a state drowning in opioid deaths.
Then there's Raneisha Hubbert in Los Angeles. Her crime? Testing positive for marijuana after her mischievous toddler kept escaping their new apartment. Despite no evidence of neglect or harm to her children, both kids were taken away. The system labeled her a "substance abuser" unfit to care for her own flesh and blood.
But surely this doesn't happen in states where weed is legal, right? Wrong. Take Lindsay Ridgell from Arizona, where medical marijuana has been legal since 2010. She used cannabis during pregnancy to combat severe morning sickness, with her doctor's blessing. Yet when her son was born, he was drug tested without her consent, and she found herself under investigation for neglect. This, despite Arizona's laws specifically protecting medical marijuana users from such discrimination.
These aren't isolated incidents. The article reveals that tens of thousands of mothers across the country are coming under scrutiny for cannabis use. Many lose custody entirely, labeled as dangers to their own children. They're forced into drug treatment programs and subjected to humiliating surveillance, all for using a substance that's legal in many states and less harmful than alcohol.
Which begs the question - how is this good for the children? Where's the harm in a parent using cannabis responsibly, especially compared to the known dangers of separation trauma? We don't see this kind of heavy-handed intervention when parents drink alcohol, or feed their kids a steady diet of processed junk food and sugar. Hell, we celebrate "wine mom" culture while demonizing cannabis-using mothers.
The hypocrisy is staggering. These policies aren't protecting kids; they're traumatizing them. Ripping a child from a loving home over a parent's cannabis use isn't child protection - it's state-sanctioned child abuse. And it's happening right under our noses, even as we pat ourselves on the back for progressing beyond the worst excesses of the War on Drugs.
It's high time we faced this ugly truth: our child welfare system is being weaponized to continue the War on Drugs by other means. And it's our kids who are paying the price.
What’s worse, a cannabis mother or being ripped apart from your family?
Let's cut through the bullshit and call this what it is: state-sanctioned child abuse masquerading as protection. The system labels cannabis-using mothers as "substance abusers" and "dangers" to their children. Their solution? Rip kids from their homes and toss them into a foster care system that's about as nurturing as a cactus in winter.
Now, I'm not advocating for parents to blaze up 24/7 while neglecting their rugrats. But let's get real about the trauma we're inflicting on these kids in the name of "protecting" them. Being separated from your parents, especially during those crucial formative years, isn't just a bummer - it's potentially life-altering in the worst way possible.
The stats on kids who grow up without their parents or in foster care are downright depressing. Higher rates of mental health issues, substance abuse problems, and incarceration. Lower educational attainment and income levels. Increased risk of homelessness and early pregnancy. It's a laundry list of societal ills that we're essentially programming into these kids' futures.
So, what's worse? A mom who unwinds with a joint after the kids are in bed, or subjecting a child to a system that dramatically increases their chances of ending up depressed, addicted, or in prison?
Let's flip the script for a second. Is a cannabis mom really such a horror show? We're talking about people who love, nurture, and care for their kids. They clean scraped knees, cook meals, help with homework, and provide the emotional security that's crucial for healthy development. Does the fact that they use cannabis suddenly negate all of that? Does it make them unfit for motherhood?
Hell no. In fact, recent research suggests that cannabis-using parents might actually be more engaged with their kids. They're more likely to get down on the floor and play, to immerse themselves in their children's worlds. That kind of interaction is gold for a developing brain.
But the law, in its infinite, scientifically illiterate wisdom, doesn't see any of this nuance. It sees "drug user" and immediately equates that with "unfit parent." Never mind the trauma inflicted on the child. Never mind the loving home destroyed. The War on Drugs demands its pound of flesh, and it's our kids who are paying the price.
Is this really the society we want to live in? One where the state can snatch your children because you chose to consume a plant that's less harmful than alcohol? Where families are torn apart not because of abuse or neglect, but because of outdated, hysterical drug policies?
We need to ask ourselves: Is the cost of this aspect of the War on Drugs higher than any perceived harm from cannabis use? Are we okay with traumatizing children to punish parents for a victimless crime? Because make no mistake, that's exactly what we're doing.
It's time to wake up and smell the cannabis, folks. This isn't about protecting kids. It's about perpetuating a failed war that's destroying lives and families. We need to demand better. We need policies based on science and compassion, not fear and stigma. Because right now, we're not protecting children - we're sacrificing them on the altar of prohibition. And that's a cost that's far too high to bear.
The Sticky Bottom Line
Alright, folks, it's time to cut through the haze and face some hard truths. The War on Drugs has been ravaging our society for over half a century now. Isn't it about damn time we admit this experiment in prohibition has failed spectacularly? We're supposed to be living in an age of big data and evidence-based policy, yet here we are, still clinging to these draconian, uninformed drug laws like they're some kind of security blanket.
Let's talk hypocrisy for a second. We've got politicians and policymakers waxing poetic about protecting the children, using them as rhetorical shields in their crusade against drugs. But when it comes down to it, they're more than happy to rip kids away from loving homes over a parent's cannabis use. Tell me, how exactly is traumatizing a child by separating them from their family protecting them? It's like trying to fireproof a house by burning it to the ground.
I don't know about you, but I think it's high time (pun fully intended) that we renegotiate our relationship with drugs from a policy perspective. We're not the same society we were back in 1971 when Nixon kicked off this ill-fated war. We've evolved, we've learned, and we've seen firsthand the catastrophic consequences of treating a public health issue like a criminal one.
Using the full force of the law, including the child welfare system, to crack down on cannabis use is like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame. It's excessive, it's destructive, and it completely misses the point. We need policies that actually help families, not tear them apart. Policies based on science and compassion, not outdated moral panics and political posturing.
So here's the sticky bottom line: It's time to end this senseless war. It's time to stop punishing parents for using a substance that's legal in many states and less harmful than alcohol. It's time to prioritize the real well-being of children over some misguided notion of drug-free purity.
Because let's face it, the real danger to these kids isn't a parent who uses cannabis responsibly. It's a system that's willing to traumatize them in the name of a failed ideology. And that's a habit we need to kick, once and for all.
SOCCER MOMS AND WEED, READ ON...
