Marijuana found on boy, 4, at preschool : City & Region : The Buffalo News
LOCKPORT [NY] — [A]t the Niagara County Head Start Program at Grace Episcopal Church, a staff member noticed the boy walking strangely on Wednesday morning and told the boy to take off his sneaker when the boy said he was in pain.Inside the sneaker, staff found a bag with several smaller bags of marijuana. Police were quickly called.
Both Lockport police and Niagara County Child Protective Services investigated, and by 4 p. m. Wednesday, the Niagara County Drug Task Force, armed with a search warrant, had entered the Washburn Street home of the boy’s mother, Sherry Sanney, 27, and seized a small quantity of marijuana.
Sanney and Joshua Bryant, 21, of Harvest Ridge Way, were arrested at the apartment and charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Acting Police Chief Michael Neithe said the day care center staff did everything right.
“The children were never in any danger, and the drugs were immediately confiscated,” Neithe said.
“The children were never in any danger”… so we charged their mom with “endangering the welfare of a child”. Aside from the illegality of the marijuana, what danger was the child in? Foot pain?
It’s seems obvious to me that someone, likely mom, just hid the marijuana in the kids sneaker and forgot about it. I feel confident that her intention wasn’t to get the 4-year-old high or have him deal weed to his 4-year-old classmates.
Yes, they found plants, and scales, and baggies. So immediately, people think “drug dealer!” and that must be more danger to the child.
However, it doesn’t appear that she was involved in any large-scale trafficking operation. Looks to me like a household personal grow with enough excess to be able to make a small income by dealing to friends. Who knows, pot income may have even fed and clothed that 4-year-old.
I’ve known many a low-level weed dealer and more than a couple who had young children at the time. It’s not the most perfect environment – after all, SWAT with automatic weapons could come bursting in at any time – but those kids got good parenting and faced no more danger than anyone else’s kids.
Once again, the only danger the child faced was created by the prohibition, not the pot.
I am normally on your side with things, but you fail to mention that they also found several plants growing in plain view and what looked to be distribution.
I’m all for smoking it, but that’s just irresponsible. If you’re going to crusade, you have to be willing to show ALL sides of the story, and not be selective like the news media is, because honestly, what would make you different from them?