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Huffington Post David Moye First Posted: 10/30/12 EDT Updated: 10/31/12 EDT
A mother in New Zealand has been convicted of giving her infant drugs -- through her breast milk.
Prosecutors said the 29-year-old woman, who was not identified, gave marijuana to her baby by breastfeeding, the New Zealand Herald reported.
The woman, who pleaded guilty last week, was sentenced to six months' supervision.
The authorities smoked out the suspect during a police search for drugs. The suspect's partner was also arrested on drug charges.
Acting Senior Sergeant Andrew McDonald told reporters that the woman's actions amounted to child abuse.
"Child abuse is family violence in these circumstances, and it is clear this baby and its mother needed help," he said, according to the BBC. "People often believe drug-related activities are victimless, but it affects the people around them."
New Zealand experts say if the woman had not pleaded guilty, she might have been able to avoid the conviction.
Warren Brookbanks, a professor of law at the University of Auckland, told the Wanganui Chronicle that it would be difficult to prove that the woman had deliberately administered cannabis to her baby through her breast milk.
"It would be necessary for the prosecution to prove that the mother both knew she had cannabis in her system, and that she intended to administer it to the baby.
This is not the first time a child has exposed to marijuana at a very early age. Earlier this year, a three-year-old boy in Murrieta, Ca., slept for three days after accidentally eating his grandmother's pot-laced cookies.
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A recent study seems to indicate that extensive use of marijuana before the age of 18 significanly lowers IQ. Reference: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/27/health/health-teen-pot/index.html
If true, it is likely that the HTC provided to the infant via breast milk (and second hand smoke) would impact development. Quite frankly, it should be common sense that breast feeding mothers should not abuse any drugs...
Fetal Marijuana Syndrome was very common among the children born to my generation's women. Neurological problems abound.
At a minimum, a mom using pot while pregnant or lactating is exhibiting a tremendous disregard to her child's health.
The smoke has been implicated in child pneumonia as well as the problems usually associated with tobacco smoke on young children.
But none of that matters to the person who is addicted to "recreational" marijuana. They want their drug and that is all they truly care about.
Seeing most of the women my age use marijuana taught me that. The drug is more important to the user than family, friends, children, anyone.
That is why so many pot-smokers "can't be bothered" to feed their kids or otherwise take care of them. (Also something I've seen regularly in the last 25 years in my generation.)
http://www.cafemom.com/answers/1078779/Never_heard_of_Fetal_marijuana_syndrome
Saying they are some kind of mindless zombie not caring for kids is quite dumb.
People who smoke cigarettes and drink are addicted to "recreational" legal drug use. They want their drug and that is all they truly care about.
Wake up and find out what the facts are before giving us reefer madness.
That is why so many drinkers and smokers "can't be bothered" to feed their kids or otherwise take care of them. (Also something I've seen regularly in the last 45 year in my generation.)
I find it disgusting the lack of compassion for the kids. These kids have all sorts of problems from it, but the usual excuse is "it doesn't exist" despite being more common than Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Consider that a single joint, thanks to its fat solubility and thus lingering in the body for 3+ weeks, is much more likely to harm an unborn child than alcohol. It requires a large quantity of alcohol (such as the Russians imbibe) and the alcohol condition is less than 10% as common as the marijuana-caused syndrome.
Ignoring it ensures more kids get hurt.
No differences were detected three days after birth. At 30 days the exposed babies did better than the non-exposed on all the scales and significantly better on two of the scales (having to do with autonomic stability and reflexes)."
http://www.druglibrary.org/SCHAFFER/hemp/medical/can-babies.htm
After her report she was not able to receive funded again for further studies. However, her research is still proven today and has never been refuted.
There's no reason this person should have been prosecuted and she should have utilized this information for her case on top of the fact that the prosecution would have to prove negligence.
Marijuana Cannabis Use In Pregnancy Dr. Dreher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9WorIM0RhA
Melanie Dreher, RN, PhD, FAAN explains her cannabis and pregnancy research study in Jamaica. Pregnant women and their children were studied for over ten plus years, both marijuana smokers and non-smokers were included in the study. One of the first scientific studies of the effects that cannabis may have on pregnancy and the child's development thereafter.