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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
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    2

    Default Investigated by Protective Services for Possession and Use of Marijuana

    My question involves child abuse or neglect in the State of: PA.

    Hi, I'm hoping to get some advice. On Monday the 21st CPS came to my home stating that there was anonymous call regarding my children. I let him in. We had just gotten back from a long weekend mini vacation. Just me and my 2 boys 9 & 8. He sat at my kitchen table stating that there was an anonymous call about Marijuana and Paraphernalia on top of our fridge. He then said that he sees a jar on top o the fridge what is that. I proceeded to show him and it was a jar with a minuscule amount of Marijuana, less than a gram. There was no paraphernalia. I then explained the truth. My father is ill (stage 3 Small Cell Scasmous (SP?) Lung Cancer.) He does not smoke in the house, but in the Shed. Children never go into the shed. He was diagnosis 2 yrs ago this week. Did chemo and went from 185 lbs to 120 (5'11") was having a LOT of trouble gaining weight and that is the only thing that was helping with that. He explained that PA is not a legal Medical Marijuana state. He also said that he was surprise that it was there. As was I. Normally this is in my fathers room which is in a separate part of the house or the shed. He stated that the report came in on 12/17. He contacted the school on 12/18 to see if they felt this was an emergency report all the teachers supposedly stated that we are involved with the children, constantly with PTO activities, Children are happy and healthy, doesn't miss school etc. Hence him not coming out till the following Monday.

    He did ask me if I would pass a drug test. I said I don't know. I was polite to him and answered the questions to the best I could. My house was clean, food in the fridge, Children were happily playing a video game when he arrived. I was even baking Christmas cookies with them earlier so i'm pretty sure the house smelled yummy. They are never sick and never have been to the hospital for a broken anything, concussion or ANYTHING like that. He did also tell me that he understood why it was there and that he needs to discuss with the supervisor. Even gave me suggestions of where to keep things to keep giving to my father. I did throw away the jar right in front of him. I told him that would no longer allow my father to do it at all because my children are far more important. He scheduled another appt for next Monday to come back to speak with my husband (as he wasn't there). He said at one point, i forget what I asked for him to say this, that he needed to talk to my husband "to lecture him as well" He also, stated that "listen, Marijuana is very different than it was even last year".

    Im so freaking out. I love my kids more than anything we do and give them ANYTHING. WE have since thrown everything away. My father has not smoked since Monday (already his appetite is down, which kills me more than I can even say). Also, something else I feel like I should mention is the day that the report came in, the 17th, me and my boys were 1800 miles away in another state. Should I mention that? Would that help?

    Is it possible that they could take my kids away for this? Is it good that, since monday they have left the kids in our custody. What possibly could happen from this?

    ETA: also, we did just have a report from the Dept of Aging regarding my father. (basically CPS for the elderly). That report stated that my father was neglected, had bed sores, and I was stealing money from him. ALL of this is completely untrue. This report was made anonymously as well. The woman had an appt to come out Tuesday (the day after CPS came out). She came out spoke with my father for about an hr/hr and a half. And found the reports completely unfounded. Even checked his skin to see there were no bed sores and my father explained that I do have power of atty, under his wanting for Medical and Financial. To pay HIS bills. Man has more money than ME ha!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Posts
    3,212

    Default Re: Investigated by Protective Services for Possession and Use of Marijuana

    If CPS thought your children were in immediate danger they would have taken them that day. It does concern me that the CPS worker didn't talk with your father to verify what you said. It is hard to say what will happen. Even though marijuana is becoming more acceptable in some ways, it is still illegal and against federal and PA state law. Even though it seems unlikey that CPS will take your children, I wouldn't totally rule it out. Other here may or may not agree.

    You do need to be prepared for the person that made the complaints to not give up trying to cause you trouble. Do you have any idea who it might be ? There is nothing you can do to prevent them or anyone from calling in complaints. You might not want to talk about this and how upset you are to Anyone but your husband. You also might want to tell your husband the same thing. Unfortunately often the people that do these things are ones that you would never suspect. Are there any family members on that are upset with you or your dad ? What about friends of your father that may not agree with something he is doing/has done/. Maybe a sibling or other family member or close friend that wants your dads Power Of Attorney ? What about inheritance, has your dad changed his will lately or does anyone think he has ? Maybe a neighbor, coworker, parent of a child at school, etc that you've had a disagreement or argument with ? It might not be something that you take seriously, but someone else may.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    in alto mare
    Posts
    1,123

    Default Re: Investigated by Protective Services for Possession and Use of Marijuana

    You made a big mistake letting the CPS investigator in and talking to him. Did you ask if he had a warrant?

    I wouldn't talk to CPS again without an attorney on speed dial. They are like police and have many of the same powers, so anything you say can be used against you.

    That doesn't excuse the marijuana in the home and it's not an excuse for you to be hostile to the CPS person but be firm that there will be no more queries without a warrant or court order. And call your lawyer.

    Don't let pops keep any more of his "medicine" in the house, either. And I'd get to the bottom of who is making these calls. It's someone close to you.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    38,867

    Default Re: Investigated by Protective Services for Possession and Use of Marijuana

    Is he still taking chemo? The effects of chemo are limited


    has he spoken to his medical provider about dronabinol?


    Reports are rarely anonymous but cps and others are under no obligation to tell you who is the reporter. Obviously it was somebody that had been in your house as well.

    While you may have been 1800 miles away at the time of the report we are talking about issues that are not single momentary incidents but ongoing situations.

    Your statement of not knowing if you would pass a drug test is about as close to an admission you use marijuana. Given your statements your father smokes outside or in the shed unless you accompany him testing negative shouldn't be a problem. Given you did have marijuana in your home (and it's odd that you could guesstimate how much was there; less than a gram. I couldn't tell you if a pile of marijuana was a gram or a pound. As I don't use I have no point of reference as to what a gram or pound would look like) and your statement you don't know if you could pass a drug test could result in problems. No guarantee it will or won't but what has been seen is likely to be adequate to obtain a search warrant should cps want to go further with it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Posts
    2

    Default Re: Investigated by Protective Services for Possession and Use of Marijuana

    Sorry I don't know how to quote people.

    Mercy & Grace: Honestly we think its a neighbor of ours...he's never in the house but we always "catch" him snooping around our house. We had an issue before with him making a false claim about my father (basically, we still go on vacation though my father lives with us and isn't VERY well. Even though we hire a nursing company to help him every day we are gone, he felt/feels that isn't sufficient enough, feels we shouldn't have strangers looking after him. Both husband and I are only children so it's our only choice. If my father had it his way he wants no one to watch over him at all, but I don't feel comfortable leaving him alone.... this was 3-4 yrs ago). This person goes in and out of being our "BFF" it gets old and Im done. Other than that we have no one in our home. So I really don't know who it could be. We do have cleaning people that come weekly but again, on top of the fridge isn't were he normally keeps it so I do think it would be them.

    We have not talked about this to anyone except my father and each other.

    I just wish I knew what was in store for us and this situation. I'm really freaking out. I guess I'm just hoping we made the correct steps to fix the situation as it is.

    Also, My kids actually have a play date with friends the date he is supposed to return. Is this a good idea to have them out of the home when he returns? Or does that look like I'm hiding something. He actually asked if i wanted the kids in another room when we talked and i did think that was a good idea so they did go to their toy room. I just really don't know what I'm supposed to do or say anymore.

    My father's life insurance is very small. He has his pension that basically pays he's credit card/medical/etc Bills. We are both only children and my father is an only child as well so its not family. Husband parents are around but we go to their house moreso than them coming here

    Geek: Yea, I found out about not letting them in after the fact. And again it's not normally on top of the fridge so I didn't really feel we had anything to hide. I understand you saying not allowing them to come back in but honestly I made my father get rid of everything so I have NOTHING to hide now and just want this over. not sure "blocking" them would look better than our current "status". Or am I still wrong on this?

    JK: He hasn't taken Chemo in over a year. IT's not the nausea that he has issues with it's plain ole appetite. I believe Dronabinol is for nausea, he was on Marinol for nausea when he was on chemo but this is about getting him eating more in general.

    I say I dont know because I do help my father out to the shed and it's a small enclosed space. I only said gram because I asked my father how much it was cause I had no idea LOL. He was the one that told me about a gram... i was just wanting in my OP to know it wasn't a HUGE amount but a very small amount....

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    38,867

    Default Re: Investigated by Protective Services for Possession and Use of Marijuana

    Dronabinol is marinol. It is also used to increase appetite, at least in AIDS patients. I'm not a doctor and haven't researched it but I would think it would do the same for others. After all, the munchies induced by pot is kind of a universal reaction.

    as to your suspicion of who it is; it really is irrelevant but realize they said there was a jar with pot in it on the refrigerator. Is that easily observable without being in the home?

    if your "I don't know" was said without explanation then what they heard was that you use drugs. That is what it would boil down to

    and unless you spend a LOT of time with your father while he is actively smoking, a positive test is highly unlikely. But if you do help him that much, then simply put, you are getting high too whether it is intentional or not and cps isn't going to care if you say it's not intentional.

    Regsrdless of anythng else; there was, admittedly, marijuana in your home. It is illegal. That allows cps to do a lot of things if they choose to do so. You'll simply have to wait it out to see if they do anything.

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