Category Archives: Child Endangerment

Solving the Problem of Marijuana and Child Abuse, Part 6

(Part 1 shows child justice failures in Court. Part 2 of this series is about neglected children who died in fires. Part 3 covers children who die in hot cars and in drownings. Part 4 explains parents who are addicted or psychotic from marijuana. Part 5 shows how children die through violence related to pot.  Part 6 presents a solution. See our updated fact sheet on 60 children’s deaths. Read a previous article,Three Children Die in Colorado.)

A Commitment Against Child Abuse and Neglect Must Address Pot Use

Prevent Child Abuse America and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and groups dedicated to ending domestic violence will not make progress towards that goal until they unite in opposition to drug abuse. The notable drugs of abuse include marijuana.   Some anti-violence groups are as ignorant as our court system, because they do not accept marijuana and other substance abuse as the primary compounding cause of child abuse and neglect.  (Stress alone or poverty alone don’t cause child abuse. Substance abuse alone can cause child abuse and neglect. ) Continue reading Solving the Problem of Marijuana and Child Abuse, Part 6

Dead Babies, Toddlers, Pot Parents and Violent Acts, Part 5

(Part 1 shows child justice failures in Court. Part 2 of this series is about neglected children who died in fires. Part 3 covers children who die in hot cars and in drownings. Part 4 explains parents who are addicted or psychotic from marijuana. Part 5 shows how children die through violence related to potPart 6 presents a solution. Read a previous article,Three Children Die in Colorado.)

Tenisha Fearon
Tenisha Fearon, mother of Junilah Lawrence. The mother threw her baby out a 6th floor window in the Bronx on October 15, 2015.  Photo from Facebook

Yesterday afternoon in the Bronx, a 27-year-old mom threw her six-month-old baby girl out a sixth floor window.  Onlookers tried to stop her, but Tenisha Fearon was screaming ‘we’re all going to die’ as she dangled the baby and told cops the ‘devil is in her.’   She was having a psychotic break, but Tenisha was generally known as a loving mother.  A Facebook photo holds a clue as to why she snapped — the marijuana leaf on her hat.  Only a marijuana user — most likely a heavy user — would advertise the pot leaf on their clothing.  Pot advocates argue that marijuana doesn’t cause psychosis, but we find too much evidence it does.  A woman who killed her 17-year-old son in Oregon on September 24 used pot several times a day and was paranoid. Continue reading Dead Babies, Toddlers, Pot Parents and Violent Acts, Part 5

Young Victims of Parents’ Pot Addiction and Psychosis, Part 4

(Part 1 shows child justice failures in Court. Part 2 of this series is about neglected children who died in fires. Part 3 covers children who die in hot cars and in drownings. Part 4 explains parents who are addicted or psychotic from marijuana. Part 5 shows how children die through violence related to potPart 6 presents a solution. See our updated fact sheet of 60 deaths. Read a previous article,Three Children Die in Colorado).

Toddlers Who Went Outside, Almost Forgotten

Sad-Girl
Pictures on this page don’t correspond to specific children

When Rebecca Santiago-Reyes left her apartment at 2:30 a.m. to “smoke some weed” last February, she must have need her “fix.” When she went back to check on her children, one was missing. Fortunately, the 4-year daughter was found outside. She was unconscious and had turned blue. The temperature in Connecticut was only 3 degrees, but the little girl survived.   Addiction gets in the way of parenting.

In May of last year, a Florida mother and her boyfriend smoked pot all morning and ignored the pleas of her 3-year old who was locked outside until a neighbor found him.  The arrested mother claimed, “Marijuana should be legal anyways.” Continue reading Young Victims of Parents’ Pot Addiction and Psychosis, Part 4

Hot Cars, Pools, Pot, More Victims of Child Neglect: Part 3

(Part 1 shows child justice failures in Court. Part 2 of this series is about neglected children who died in fires. Part 3 covers children who die in hot cars and in drownings. Part 4 explains parents who are addicted or psychotic from marijuana. Part 5 shows how children die through violence related to potPart 6 presents a solution. Read a previous article,Three Children Die in Colorado.)

The marijuana lobby tells us they advocate for “responsible use of marijuana.” The impairment and forgetfulness of these parents proves that “responsible use” doesn’t work with parenting.  See our updated fact sheet about 53 children who have died from parents’ pot use since November 2012.

Deaths in Hot Cars

The death of Tyler and William Jensen, two years  and four years, was particularly sad. The boys died from being left in a hot car while their mom smoked pot. They were Colorado’s first child neglect victims of a parent’s pot use after the successful vote to legalize in 2012. It’s interesting that Heather Jensen’s lawyer defended her by claiming low IQ accounted for her lack of judgment. A long-term study indicates that frequent, early pot use leads to a significant drop in IQ over time. She was 24 at the time. Heather Jensen’s activity suggests addiction, coming from chronic use at a young age. Continue reading Hot Cars, Pools, Pot, More Victims of Child Neglect: Part 3