Disturbingly graphic artist's rendition of unspeakably cruel child abuse. ("It's Just a Plant" - click to order)
{Denver – Cannabis Therapy Institute}– Parents of legal grow operations can be charged with felony child abuse under current Colorado law, according to the Denver District Attorney. In June, Denver DA Mitchell R. Morrissey filed felony child abuse charges against parents Joseph Lightfoot (30) and Amber Wildenstein (29) for legally cultivating medical cannabis in the basement of the house that they lived in with their three children. Joseph and Amber were arrested and forced to post $50,000 bond each to get out of jail. They have a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 24 in Denver District Court.
Joseph Lightfoot Defense Fund
http://www.paypal.com/
Donate to Paypal Account: jlight1980@yahoo.comAccording to the DA’s press release, the couple had been operating a “licensed marijuana growing operation” in their house when police were called to investigate a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, the police reported that there was no crime being committed, but discovered a medical cannabis garden in the basement. The cultivation area was legal under state law, and the police did not confiscate any of the plants or medicine. However, days later they came back to serve arrest warrants on Joseph and Amber for felony child abuse and to take the kids.
According to the DA’s press release, “Colorado Revised Statute 18-6-401 states in part that a person commits child abuse, if, in the presence of a child, or on the premises where a child is found, or where a child resides… the person knowingly engages in the manufacture or attempted manufacture of a controlled substance.”
It boggles the mind that any servant of the law would believe that after the people voted to protect the rights of patients in the Constitution, a decade later the people believe the patients exercising those rights are abusing their children by doing so and deserve felony prosecution.
But it once again illustrates the stark fact that medical marijuana is not legalization. This absurd loophole the Denver DA has exploited exists only because the marijuana itself is criminal – a “controlled substance” – and he is sworn to go after criminals. Patients are never truly protected so long as they are merely exempted from criminal prosecution for medical use and cultivation, because as this and so many other cases prove, those exemptions seem to have a lot of exceptions.
Obviously, cultivating a house plant is in no conceivable way “child abuse”. The only possible argument could be that growing legal medical marijuana subjects the home to the potential home invasion, but even that stands only as an indictment of the marijuana prohibition. By this logic, openly displaying wealth would be child abuse, since that too would provide incentive for home invasion. So would keeping large supplies of certain prescription medications.
Contact your elected representatives and urge them to 'Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers'. 
This is just one more way for the bullys of america to try and sinsore us . we are not free as patents and care givers . we are told if we are to grow , grow out of sight of the public and children .this is what this couple did and now they are being punished for them doing the right thing . i belive this is wrong in every way shape and form they are taking away our rights and something needs to be done .
The last gasp of a desperate bully is to go after the weakest victims, the children. Sad to say but the only way to get them out of your life is to find another state to live in. The one thing they like more than displaying their awsome power, is a smaller caseload. If you leave they will NOT follow. I believe,at this point that leaving is precisely what they wanted us to do because we never hid and they never looked for us.
The fact needs to be clear on children and cultivation.My children would not look at me as criminal unless I was arrested and guilty by papers,gossip,and jailed.Even if found innocent this is tramatic for the kids,and will already have done damage.The obvious decesion is there,We need to go door to door on a witch hunt to take the kids of every drug user,being that alcohol is a very dangerous drug–Just look at arrests,violence,and car deaths.Lets round up all the kids because alcohol is legal makes no difference as this grow was legal.Seriously,I feel for the folks.The worry I have as a father is the hard drugs that we could abolish in the U.S.Simply put, all resorce used for marijuana arrests move to guard our boarders.Neither cocaine or herion grow here and I am fed up with the job we do on security.These same routes could be used by terror groups or bio-weapons.The resouce is here or we would not have a payed mercenery army fight the HALIBURTON WAR.Take notice of the 1 trillon in Afganistan resource geoligists annonced.The elite have used our money,kids,and trust to make themself money.I hope normal defends the people and the law becomes clear to law enforcement. If someone makes my daughter think I am a criminal—Let them be judged the hardest that judge men!!!!! ,as one day we all will face the only judge,ALMIGHTY GOD.
I concur with Ray, this is a great opportunity for NORML to make history and defend this case.
There are undoubtedly NORML lawyers in Colorado that should stand up to the challenge!
Here are the lawyers that Im looking at when I type this.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=legal&Group_ID=4526
This is a case for NORML lawyers to sue these police/prosecutors for false indictment. The taking of children is the last great FEAR for soccer Mom’s to overcome. That is the purpose of this illegal action…even thrown out of court…many people made very afraid. Bastards need to lose their pensions.