Raymond Schwab has had his children taken away due to his use of medical cannabis. Whenever he decides to speak about this, his words become overshadowed by anger.
“People who don’t understand the medical value of cannabis are tearing my family apart,” Schwab, a Kansas father and the United States veteran, who has a prescription for cannabis in Colorado, where the drug is legal, says.
Almost a year ago, Schwab attempted to relocate to Colorado in order to produce medical marijuana for his friends who are also veterans. As Schwab and his wife were getting ready to move into Colorado, the state of Kansas intervened and took five of their children into custody because of child endangerment due to the fact that his children were indirectly becoming involved with cannabis culture. Similar cases have become a point of emphasis for cannabis activists and have left many people unaware of where the barrier is in this new era that approves of marijuana much more than before.
“There’s still a stigma against parents who use medical marijuana,” Jennifer Ani, a family lawyer who reports that she sees approximately five similar cases monthly – in 95% of which the kid was in no real danger. “As much as marijuana is a moving target throughout the nation, with Child Protective Services it’s even more so.”
The United States Department of Health and Human Services refused to talk about the Schwab case but guided reporters to their guide “Parental Drug Use As Child Abuse”, which explicitly states that “exposing children to the manufacture, possession, or distribution of illegal drugs is considered child endangerment in 11 States [including Kansas]” and “the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act requires states to have policies and procedures in place to notify child protective services agencies of substance-exposed newborns.”
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