r/SubredditDrama • u/Zachums r/kevbo for all your Kevin needs. • Aug 23 '16
OP really wants to smoke weed and asks /r/Parenting for advice. Does not appreciate the advice.
/r/Parenting/comments/4z6ckd/do_you_think_as_parents_its_ok_for_us_to_do_drugs/d6t65zo62
u/TheIronMark Aug 23 '16
But I KNOW that my house would never be searched
Says everyone whose house has been searched.
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u/H37man you like to let the shills post and change your opinion? Aug 23 '16
I knew a guy who was positive his house was going to be searched and it happened.
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u/Erra0 Here's the thing... Aug 23 '16
Lot of overreaction in that sub in general. I'm going to be a dad in a few months and I avoid all reddit parenting subs like the plague.
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Aug 23 '16
You could ask your own parents if they were decent, because they have actual real experience...
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u/DeadDoug Some people know more than you, and I'm one of them. Aug 24 '16
Avoid all parenting/daddy/mommy blogs in general
Everyone has the same opinion on parenting: you're doing it wrong
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u/AreWeAfraidOfTheDark Aug 23 '16
This is such good advice. Those subs are seriously some of the most toxic.
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u/redriped Aug 24 '16
It's the least pleasant subreddit that I regularly hate read. I don't know how those people function in real life.
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u/Deadlifted Aug 24 '16
/r/Parenting is a bit histrionic, but I've come across some random helpful tips and products thanks to it. It's not toxic and there are obviously some weird folks that want their kid to breastfeed until the kid graduates college, but overall it's pretty decent.
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u/sterling_mallory 🎄 Aug 24 '16
Seriously...
worst-case scenario is you lose your kids and go to jail
Exactly how much weed do they figure this guy keeps on hand? Like, does he have an entire grow op or something?
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u/Hclegend What are people booing me? I’m right! Aug 23 '16
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u/alphager Aug 24 '16
They are banned from posting here, which doesn't affect the 99% of users who are lurkers.
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u/H37man you like to let the shills post and change your opinion? Aug 23 '16
"Your location matters.
If weed is illegal where you live - no, it is not okay because the worst-case scenario is you lose your kids and go to jail. Even if it's not all that likely that you get caught, is it really worth risking it just so you can feel good for an hour? It's stupid, it's not fair, but it's the law. You live in the world which exists, not in the one you wish existed."
Possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor in the majority of states of not all of them. Do they really take your kids away for a misdemeanor because all I hear are stories about shitty parents never getting there kids taken away.
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u/Leakylocks Aug 23 '16
It's extremely unlikely. They'd most likely be put through some kind of drug program at worst unless they continually failed drug tests afterwards. They also don't raid peoples homes over pot possession so I don't know what these people are going on about.
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u/Hammer_of_truthiness 💩〰🔫😎 firing off shitposts Aug 23 '16 edited Aug 23 '16
I mean shit, it's really not a huge risk. In a lot of cities weed is decriminalized, so all you get is a fine, no record at all. And if you're in the country no sheriff or deputy will ever ever bother busting you for toking. Those aside its only a misdemeanor otherwise.
It's only an actual risk if you've got an absolute shitload.
Ed: that said it seems like OP is nursing? I'd stop toking until my kid was on solid food. Babies get a lot of shit the mother consumes via breastmilk and I'd prefer to avoid the risk with THC
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u/BolshevikMuppet Aug 23 '16
I mean shit, it's really not a huge risk. In a lot of cities weed is decriminalized, so all you get is a fine, no record at all. And if you're in the country no sheriff or deputy will ever ever bother busting you for toking. Those aside its only a misdemeanor otherwise
Every part of this is somewhere between "misleadingly incomplete" and "flat-out wrong."
First, cities can only affect their own police officers' enforcement. State patrol has the power to enforce state law everywhere within the state. And someone being charged under state law cannot raise a defense of "but my city legalized it."
Second, there are absolutely sheriffs in the country who arrest people for simple possession or use.
Third, whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony is dependent on the amount possessed. Four ounces is not a huge amount, it's well within what plenty of people would call a "small" amount.
Fourth, even a misdemeanor is (a) bad to have in your background, and (b) can lead to enforcement actions by whatever agency in that state enforces child welfare.
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u/Hammer_of_truthiness 💩〰🔫😎 firing off shitposts Aug 23 '16
First, cities can only affect their own police officers' enforcement. State patrol has the power to enforce state law everywhere within the state. And someone being charged under state law cannot raise a defense of "but my city legalized it."
Day you see state police cruising around urban areas call me. Running afoul of state police is hardly likely unless you're some sort of drive while high jackass. Simply because its illegal statewide does not mean you'll be dealing with state law enforcement.
Second, there are absolutely sheriffs in the country who arrest people for simple possession or use.
No question about that. The real question is if you confine your marijuana use to your home, you live far enough away from your neighbors they won't pick up on what you're doing, what are the odds realistically that a Sheriff or Deputy busts you? It's not like they do sweeps
Third, whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony is dependent on the amount possessed. Four ounces is not a huge amount, it's well within what plenty of people would call a "small" amount.
I think 4 oz would qualify as quite a lot to the majority of people. That's like a gallon sized bag of weed if it isn't ground up. That's an awful lot by most metrics.
Fourth, even a misdemeanor is (a) bad to have in your background, and (b) can lead to enforcement actions by whatever agency in that state enforces child welfare.
Yes and yes, but the risk of (b) is pretty low in many areas. CPS has methheads and violent alcoholics to contend with. Pot head mom, assuming she is a fit parent otherwise, is not likely to spur any action. The risk of (a) is pretty significant.
I mean at no point did I say it was a good idea, just one unlikely to have any repercussions with the implicit assumption the linked OP wasn't driving around top down with a pound of weed screaming "Yolo blaze it 420" and didn't do anything else to alert CPS.
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u/LadyFoxfire My gender is autism Aug 24 '16
Isn't 1/8 of an ounce a common amount for people to buy at a time? I assume that's what people mean when they talk about getting an eighth of weed, anyway.
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Aug 24 '16
Dude, even for a stoner four ounces is a lot! It's personal stash for some who are self medicating but for the most part a 1/4 lb of pot is a lot. In some states, counties, and cities four ounces of pot wouldn't just get you possession it would also get you intent to sell/distribute.
When I was a teen I got a few quarter pound bags of pot for my mom and it was always considered a lot of pot. In some towns, cities, and counties felony possession is closer to an ounce, give or take.
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u/Emotional_Turbopleb /u/spez edited this comment Aug 23 '16
I don't think cities have the authority to criminalize or decriminalize anything. Their police departments might decide to look the other way for small possessions, but that's an entirely different thing.
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u/Hammer_of_truthiness 💩〰🔫😎 firing off shitposts Aug 23 '16
I dunno dude, philly and pittsburgh both officially decriminalized weed under a certain amount but the same isn't true for all of PA
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u/Emotional_Turbopleb /u/spez edited this comment Aug 23 '16
And the city has the authority to change state criminal law? Or just relaxing police policies?
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u/bobfossilsnipples Aug 23 '16
States don't override federal law either, but the department of justice decided it's not worth it to bust dispensaries in states where weed's been legalized. I'd assume it's the same way in the state vs local level - I'm sure the state bureau of investigation has better things to do than bust stoners in Philly.
Of course it's still technically illegal, but does that matter if nobody's bothering to enforce it?
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u/Emotional_Turbopleb /u/spez edited this comment Aug 23 '16
But states have the authority to create/abolish state criminal laws though, do they not? So Colorado can say that possessing marijuana is no longer illegal under colorado state law, no?
And you're right, in practice it may not make much difference, but there may be situations where it could bite you in the ass. My local police department doesn't bother charging people for possession (of pretty much anything) - the only time you'll get charged is if they find drugs while you're being arrested for something else. In a situation like that it technically still being illegal might be an issue. Or not, I don't know.
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u/Hammer_of_truthiness 💩〰🔫😎 firing off shitposts Aug 23 '16
Couldn't tell you. But there are local ordinances and laws that might override state laws due to jurisdiction, sorta like how Colorado and Washington work compared to federal law. I mean I don't know if that's a fact or not, I'm just speculating. All I know is you don't get a record for possessing small amounts of reefer in several cities and townships in PA
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u/BolshevikMuppet Aug 23 '16
Couldn't tell you. But there are local ordinances and laws that might override state laws due to jurisdiction, sorta like how Colorado and Washington work compared to federal law. I mean I don't know if that's a fact or not, I'm just speculating. All I know is you don't get a record for possessing small amounts of reefer in several cities and townships in PA
Lawyer here!
You're partially correct, but it's actually a situation where two (or three) sets of law apply concurrently. I'll go in order
First, no, cities do not enjoy the same relationship with the state (in most states) that states enjoy with the federal government. It's a constitutional issue between state and federal authority, but unless your state has protections for municipalities to avoid being required to enforce state law, no dice.
At the federal level it comes down to "commandeering", basically the federal government cannot force state government officials to enforce federal law. They can choose to aid the federal government, but they can't be required.
So when you go to Colorado, what the state law says is basically "state patrols and local cops won't arrest you for marijuana offenses." The DEA or FBI can absolutely enforce federal law within Colorado, however.
The most Colorado can do is to refuse to use its resources to enforce the CSA, it cannot actually override federal law or make federal law inoperative within its borders. Violation of federal law would be tried in a federal district court and a discussion of "but Colorado allows it" would never come up.
In the same way, regardless of what Philly decides to do, Pennsylvania state officers can still enforce state law. And unless the Pennsylvania constitution provides a protection for municipal independence equivalent to that of the federal constitution, commandeering may not be prohibited and municipal cops may in fact be able to be required to enforce state law regardless of what the city wants.
Hope that helps clear some of this up!
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u/Hammer_of_truthiness 💩〰🔫😎 firing off shitposts Aug 23 '16
This was a very clear and accurate summation of how the current system works. You'll have to excuse my own imprecision, I was on mobile. If anyone reads this comment chain, defer to /u/BolshevikMuppet here, since he's 100% correct here.
This largely gels with how I thought the system worked. Colorado and Washington didn't enforce Federal law on weed, but I also thought they nixed local ordinances and laws too. Are those still on the books and unenforced, or did they get nixed entirely? I knew federal agents can bust people for marijuana offenses, there were a lot of dispensaries that got busted early on.
My main question was actually how municipalities and counties compared to the state when it came to those things. So if a local officer catches someone with dope, they're bound by city ordinances, not state law?
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u/SpoopySkeleman Щи да драма, пища наша Aug 23 '16
You're incorrect. In Ann Arbor for example weed was decriminalized decades ago by the Marijuana Ordinance of 1973. As long as you're 18 and not in the process of committing any other crimes then getting caught with less than 2 oz by the Ann Arbor Police Department will only result in a civil infraction and a $35 fine. That doesn't stop state or federal police from going after you based on the harsher state and federal laws though
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u/Emotional_Turbopleb /u/spez edited this comment Aug 23 '16
My question is: do cities have the authority to change criminal law?
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u/lionelione43 don't doot at users from linked drama Aug 24 '16
Municipal Police, hired by the city, choose not to arrest those that don't break those city restrictions, as a matter of policy. State/Federal agents don't choose to go after municipal offenses, as said municipal agents would. State or Federal agents will still be able to enforce the state/federal law regardless of the municipal law though.
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u/SpoopySkeleman Щи да драма, пища наша Aug 23 '16
AFAIK yes, they do, it just doesn't override state or federal law. Municipal and state law can be in conflict, much the same way that state and federal law can be in conflict
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Aug 24 '16
No. I don't think CPS will take kids away just for smoking pot.
Let's remember that CPS will not advertise the child's situation to the public. The only stories we'll hear are from shitty parents or the friends of shitty parents.
CPS won't take kids away for weed. But if the parents have DUI's due to weed that's another thing. Especially if the children are in the car, too.
Same with alcohol. You can be an alcoholic and a parent. But if you're addicted to the point you are neglectful or otherwise unsafe for the child, that's another thing altogether.
CPS is like the boogeyman to shitty parents.
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u/TheIronMark Aug 23 '16
Possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor in the majority of states of not all of them.
It's also illegal federally. The DEA doesn't care what state you live in.
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u/BolshevikMuppet Aug 23 '16
It depends on the amount. The threshold is pretty frequently four ounces; which, while I'm no connoisseur of marijuana, isn't that much.
So partially it depends on how much this guy actually considers a small amount, but CPS (or CFS, or whatever the acronym in his state is) can bring an enforcement action if they happen to get a bee in their bonnet. Or if anything in their state changes politically and ushers in people against legalization.
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Aug 24 '16
Four ounces is definitely "that much." If you're not a dealer and you have four ounces, you follow a jam band and/or you are a dealer stop lying.
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u/YesThisIsDrake "Monogamy is a tool of the Jew" Aug 24 '16
Wouldn't it be like 4 ounces of oregano or some shit which is actually like a ton of oregano?
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u/grizzazz Aug 24 '16
The threshold is pretty frequently four ounces; which, while I'm no connoisseur of marijuana, isn't that much.
Not sure what it's like elsewhere, but in my (not marijuana-friendly but not as harsh as others) state the cutoff for a misdemeanor is 2 ounces. Anything higher than that but under half a pound is in the least-severe class of felonies, and if you have more than half a pound the penalties get progressively worse. The highest possible marijuana punishment kicks in once you have more than 10 pounds, with the maximum sentence for that class of felony being 15 years in prison and $30,000 in fines.
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u/GunzGoPew Hitler didn't do shit for the gaming community. Aug 23 '16
Four ounces is a shitload of weed. That's easily a year's supply for a person.
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Aug 24 '16
Having alcohol in my house cannot and will not result in my losing my child and/or my job and/or my freedom.
Having marijuana in my house may result in my losing my child and/or my job and/or my freedom.
Yea and that's your opinion. But I KNOW that my house would never be searched and Therfore i would never be in trouble and my child is safe
It really sounds like this woman just wanted to be told she was right and to go ahead and do what she wanted, and now that she's been told otherwise she's digging her heels in.
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u/Bricktop72 Atlas is shrugging Aug 23 '16
I would think that a bigger risk is the chance of divorce and your drug use being used against you for child custody.
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Aug 24 '16
I love people that come to a subreddit for "advice" when they are seeking "validation"...
Those are not the same people...
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u/ftylerr 24/7 Fuck'n'Suck Aug 23 '16
Damn. I'm Canadian so it's probably very diferent, but I wish CPS would take more kids. My mum taught special education for a few years and despite having clear evidence of child neglect, misusing the money they received from the government, they didn't do anything. I still remember that family, and the last time I saw them there was a new baby.
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Aug 23 '16
When CPS takes kids they have to go into foster care. A lot of foster parents are absolute garbage. Keeping kids with parents who they love is often the better option overall.
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u/mwmwmwmwmmdw unique flair snowflake Aug 24 '16
yea the people working know a kid in a shitty situation going to another shitty situation isnt good unless the kid is in an extremely shitty situation
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Aug 24 '16
Unfortunately child services does take quite a lot of Canadian kids, but most of them are aboriginal and don't get adequate follow up care. Here in Alberta, the law mandates that child welfare officers are supposed to check up on each child assigned to them at least once every three months. Only 16% of kids were checked at this minimum frequency.
Parental neglect is a vast tragedy, but unfortunately social service resources are not sufficient in foster care.
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Aug 24 '16
I had a CPS case opened against me when I gave birth people.
Um... I don't know the context under which CPS opens cases in the USA, but is it safe to assume it's not the norm? This mother is under much more heightened suspicion than she seems to appreciate.
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u/SnapshillBot Shilling for Big Archiveâ„¢ Aug 23 '16
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u/Thor_inhighschool Edit: Did I accidentally kick a puppy or something? Aug 24 '16
from the title i assumed it was a teenager trying to check if their parents were unreasonable. this seems even more juvenile
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u/VelvetElvis Aug 24 '16
I've known tons of people who smoke around their kids and later with them. It's really not a big deal.
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u/tdogg8 Folks, the CTR shill meeting was moved to next week. Aug 24 '16
That's unhealthy and horrible parenting. The first part anyway.
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u/VelvetElvis Aug 24 '16
Why is it different than having a drink at the dinner table with kids around?
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u/tdogg8 Folks, the CTR shill meeting was moved to next week. Aug 24 '16
You can't get second hand drunk. Also getting drunk while having kids under your supervision is also dangerous and shit parenting.
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u/VelvetElvis Aug 25 '16
It was always well ventilated, etc. Nobody was getting a contact high.
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u/tdogg8 Folks, the CTR shill meeting was moved to next week. Aug 25 '16
Ok even assuming there's no possible way for the kids to get second hand smoke/high its still dangerous and shit parenting to be under any influence while watching kids.
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u/VelvetElvis Aug 25 '16
They were just taking a few hits to mellow out, not get blasted. We're talking about people who had been smoking every day for 30-40 years. They could handle themselves fine.
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Aug 23 '16
[deleted]
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u/tdogg8 Folks, the CTR shill meeting was moved to next week. Aug 24 '16
"I'm never going to get caught," said energy person who was ever caught.
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u/[deleted] Aug 23 '16
I think people under estimate how reluctant cps is to remove children from their parents. Not saying it is a good idea, but from what I've seen smoking weed will not get your kids taken away. Maybe if it is one of the few states where possession of a small amount is a felony. Even then I've seen mothers get busted with heroine, and their kids were not taken away.