Father Charged After 5 Year Old Girl Gets Sick Eating Pot Brownies

[matcom]

<snip>

Waukesha - A father has been charged with two crimes after his 5-year-old daughter got sick after eating marijuana-laced brownies she found in the family's home.

On Saturday night, the girl's father, 24, of Waukesha, dropped his daughter off at his mother's home because he was going to a concert in Milwaukee, said police Capt. Mike Babe.

Babe gave this account:

Later that evening, the grandmother noticed the child was lethargic, her pupils were dilated and she was acting "strangely." She also had what the grandmother called an "unusual appetite."

When the girl said she had eaten brownies that were on top of the stove at home, the grandmother took the child to the emergency room at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. Police were called to the hospital at 1:51 a.m. Sunday, after tests came back positive for the presence of marijuana in the girl's bloodstream.

The father, who is not being named to protect the child's identity, was arrested at the hospital, and then charged Monday with felonious possession of marijuana, as a second offense, and with misdemeanor obstruction of an officer, according to court records.

The girl was treated and released from the hospital.

The maximum penalties, if the father is convicted, are 18 months in prison on the felony count plus two years of extended supervision, and nine months in jail on the misdemeanor count. Each charge also carries a maximum $10,000 fine.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/oct05/362133.asp

[eyesroll]

1. Gotta love Waukesha.

I lived there for five years. That was more than enough.

[Xithras]

2. Kind of a misleading title

She wasn't sick, she was stoned!

Still, the father should have the book thrown at him. Anyone who would leave any kinds of drugs laying around with a small child in the house, and I don't care if it's aspirin, marijuana, or freaking vitamin C pills, deserves to have their ass kicked. Too many kids get killed every year because of this kind of carelessness.

[redqueen]

5. What you said

See? I never need to post anymore... someone else usually puts it so well. :)

[William Bloode]

18. Why?

thats a bit outrageous don't you think? He most likely had them out to cool. Besides there is not much danger from a child consuming the said marijuana as there is no possible way to overdose on cannabis.

I don't think he should be punished for anything really as there was no real danger to the child.

[Xithras]

19. Actually, nobody has ever studied that

AFAIk, nobody has ever studied the effects of marijuana consumption in children, for obvious reasons. There are plenty of drugs that are safe for adults but have long-term side effects on children.

At the very minimum, the effects of heavy marijuana consumption in a small child could lead to longer term psychological problems. Young children already have a hard time differentiating between fantasy and reality because of the way their brains are wired. Toss some potentially hallucinogenic drugs into a young child and you could very easily end up with serious mental trauma. Children have no idea how drugs work or what to expect, so experiencing the effects of those drugs would be a scary and traumatizing experience.

But as I said in my first post, I don't treat marijuana differently than any other drug. Anyone who leaves ANY drug, legal or otherwise, in an area where a kid can consume it should have their asses kicked. I speak from experience here...it is NOT something to fuck around with.

As to the "no danger to the child" remark, I have to add one more thing: A drug doesn't have to kill you to be dangerous. Even if the kid had a good trip, the separation from reality could have easily led her to do dangerous things. What if this stoned kid had run into the street and been hit by a car? Marijuana impairs judgment, and since young children typically have poor judgment skills to begin with, impairing what skills they do have could lead to a tragic decision on their part.

[William Bloode]

25. Oh come on now.

Thats an awful shaky reason. #1 They have never done any honest government funded studies of marijuana. #2 Marijuana has shown over, and over again to be a fairly benign drug, especially in a non-smoked capacity.

Eating marijuana also does not have the same effect as smoking or vaporizing. The biggest effect of eaten marijuana is lethargy, and sleep, along with some munchies, and of course a good case of red eye.

I do treat individual drugs differently. You can't throw them all together in the same category, as some are very mich potentially deadly. While something like marijuana, and vitamin c are for the most part harmless.

In states that have a medical marijuana law there are patients 10yrs and under who use it to control the effects of chemo, aids/hiv, and other problems. I don't see, nor heard of any reports of this causing any type of psychosis.

Finally, in some places it is not illegal, and very normal to give childeren wine with dinner. Do you think these parents should have the book thrown at them? After all marijuana is 100x's less harmful than alcohol ever was or ever will be.

[Xithras]

27. Not quite

marijuana is 100x's less harmful than alcohol ever was or ever will be

Fallacious comparison. A single glass of wine isn't going to get anyone, even a child, drunk. When you use marijuana, on the other hand, you don't typically stop until you're stoned. Unlike marijuana users, the MAJORITY of alcohol drinkers don't keep drinking until they're drunk. It's a wine or two with dinner, a beer or three during the game, or a couple of margarita's at the party. I couldn't tell you how many drinks I've had in my life, but I can count the number of times I've been drunk on one hand. In comparison, I've probably only ever met one person who just took a toke or two and stopped. Most people light up with the goal of getting stoned...meaning that most pot users are the equivalent of raging alcoholics.

So no, those parents shouldn't have the book thrown at them for giving their kids wine with dinner. If they left a vodka bottle sitting on the floor and their kid had to go to the hospital because of alcohol poisoning as a result, my position changes a bit. In the case of this original story, the parent left a powerful drug in the reach of a five year old. That drug was ingested, and the kid was sent to the hospital as a result. I don't care what the drug was...the parent was grossly negligent and should be punished.

I'm sure you don't care, but a very good friend of mine lost her three year old daughter this way. Daddy was a crankster and left a few rocks out when his daughter came to visit one day. She ate them, and OD'd a short while later. The dumbshit dad is serving a LONG prison term now, and deservedly so. My own mother in law left her heart medications sitting out while babysitting my kids many years ago, and my second kid ate a few of them (he was two). He survived (barely), but to this day my mother in law isn't allowed to babysit the kids or have them visit at her house without us. In both cases, both of them swore that it "wasn't their fault".

IMO, ANY parent that leaves a potentially harmful drug in the reach of a child is being JUST AS NEGLIGENT as a parent who leaves a loaded gun within their reach. They not only deserve to have the book thrown at them, but a few bricks as well for being f***ing morons. I don't care if people use drugs, and I support legalization of most drugs, but to leave them within the reach of a child is something that NOBODY should support.

[William Bloode]

28. Wow you have a real bug up your ass concerning marijuana don't you.

1st yes a 6-9yr old will get buzzed on just a single glass of wine. Hell there are adults who do. I can feel the effects of a single drink of alcohol, so don't even try that. Or think about it like this a large 285lb man like myself will be over the legal limit with just 3 drinks, a 70lb child would be at or over the limit from one.

Lots of us take one or two tokes and stop. This is very common in medical users, so don't generalize. I also find it very odd you would view and insulting that "most marijuana users are the equivalent of raging alcoholics". Theres no comparison between the addictive qualities of alcohol versus marijuana, so don't even try that as the two are worlds apart.

Again i feel for ya but there is no comparison between CRANK/METH, and marijuana. Again don't even try that as again both are worlds apart as far as addictive qualities and danger factors. HINT, no one has EVER overdosed on marijuana EVER! It physically impossible to ingest the amount of THC needed to be toxic. It is on the order of 5-10,000 pounds.

Sure it may have some slight trauma involved.But so do things like clowns, scary movies, big animals, parents arguing. Should we be locking people up for exposing children to those things?

And last and not least of which. Whats more traumatizing, a little bit of a stone/high, or a displaced child with no parent because said parent is in jail for a simple non lethal mistake. I would think it would be much more troubling for said child to loose her father than the simple fact she got stoned.

It might help if you removed the stick from your butt when you look at a problem. Your solution of throwing the book at the father is potentially much more damaging than the brownies.

[Syncronaut Seven]

30. Replace the word "marijuana" in your post with the word "television"

Takes on a whole new meaning.

[Texasgal]

3. How do you "treat"

Being stoned? :shrug:

[Fleshdancer]

4. pizza. lots of pizza

:D

[Xithras]

6. There are drugs that can largely neutralize it

I had a friend in HS who went into distress after smoking way too much weed along with too much alcohol (both depress various bodily systems, so too much of both at the same time can send you to the ER). They gave him a shot of something to neutralize the THC and counter the drugs suppression of his nervous system.

He later called it the "harshest crash of his life". He went from stooned out of his gourd, to sober and in wracking pain, in a matter of seconds.

[kick-ass-bob]

7. Is it just me? Or are pot brownies just

not all that?

[GOPisEvil]

8. Er...sometimes they can be REALLY good though.

Er...so I've heard.

:yoiks:

[miss_kitty]

9. it's you

or the brownies you et. you get a much different high and more intense one when you eat pot-uh, that's what I've heard, anyway.

[LostinVA]

21. Ummm... I've been TOLD pot brownies are really great

A really different high, plus yummy chocolate. Of course, I have no first hand experience, and I narced on the person who told me this. I think they're still in prison.

[henslee]

10. Brownies can sneeeek up on you if made by a master chef... Your

stomach lining is a very effective thc absorber.

[henslee]

12. I'm not a pothead, I just play one on DU.

[kick-ass-bob]

hmmmm

maybe some people should not be chefs.
:shrug:

Of course, this is all 2nd hand information.










What? You don't believe me?

That's your problem! :P

[meganmonkey]

13. You just gotta make them the right way

Although I prefer cookies - my friend makes REALLY good special cookies :)

[henslee]

14. Tim Leary used to stick a fat bud on a triscuit with cheese and zap it

in the microwave.

[meganmonkey]

15. Eeeewwww! What a waste of a bud!

Are you serious?

:rofl:

:puke:

[henslee]

16. Yes. I read it in an interview he did when he was terminally ill. I don'

think he zapped the life out if it, just enough to tickle the red hairs.
I'm sure he knew what he was doing, being a man of science. PS, I am really pathetic to be posting about TL's weed consumption when I should be earning a living on a Monday. I must be losing my fucking mind.

[miss_kitty]

24. I'll bet it was a great high

the THC would become soluble is the fat from the cheese.

[Roon]

29. I do that

before going to the to see the broncos play the stadium,better than trying to toke up halfway through the game.

[Shell Beau]

20. They don't taste that great!

They are edible, but not delicious!

[William Bloode]

11. Gotta love the way they phrase it.

"Girl gets sick" She was not sick, she was stoned. The worst thing it done to her was give her the munchies and make her sleep. No harm no foul. Poor father faces 18 months over nothing really. Sad, sad, sad....

[skygazer]

17. Well all I can say is, I'd love to get pulled over by that cop

I'd say, "Hey, Babe...."

[edbermac]

22. Far out, man...

Save those Zig-Zags...

[Nikia]

23. I got sick eating strong pot brownies

I don't know how much pot was in them, but I get stoned easily. My husband doesn't get stoned easily, he got very stoned off of one brownie. I had a really horrible scary experience. It was like a panic attack, which I have had, but even worse. I was shaking uncontrollably for over an hour. I could barely walk at all. Finally, I was able to deep breath myself to sleep.
I don't know how the little girl felt, but it wasn't necessarily pleasant.

[miss_kitty]

26. No she probably was really ill

it's a funky feeling (so I've heard) and it must have been scary as shit for her, too. Bad Dad.

[ismnotwasm]

31. Dad sounds like he was too high

Imagine a stoned 5 year old! Poor baby. Is marijuana still classified as an hallucinogenic? I know it affects different people different ways, and some people can't tolerate it at all. Hope she's ok.

Dad needs to clean up his act. It's sad about the no contact order (unless he's a total asshole) because the child is going to blame herself "why can't I see Daddy?" I hope he gets community service and some drug education classes. And a good "quit being an idiot" jail sentence-- NOT 18 months. If he's a decent dad who did something stupid, his daughter is going to need him.
. From what I remember of pot brownies, they aren't that great, unless you're already stoned. Pot spaghetti is ok if you're already stoned. Hot Cheeto's and mayonnaise sandwiches are ok if you're already stoned (I learned that last one from my kids when they were younger)

[Arkana]

32. "Upon arriving at the house, police found the little girl sitting

in the middle of her room laughing about how huge her hands were."

[name not needed]

33. Pfft. Lightweight.