Parents beware! It is amazingly easy for your child to be arrested for possessing marijuana. Some of you may already be saying, “My child does not use marijuana, so I don’t need to be afraid of this.” To those of you who are thinking this, I say it doesn’t matter if your child uses marijuana or not.
The simple fact is that marijuana usage among teens is a very common thing. Many junior high and high school kids use marijuana. Some marijuana users may appear obvious; for example, the way a kid dresses or acts may be an indicator. Other marijuana users may be a complete surprise to many adults. These other users may be part of the “jock” crowd, or “popular” or “preppy” crowd. The main point is that an adult can’t entirely be sure.
Because we, as adults, can’t be sure that one kid is using marijuana versus another, we must educate our children on what to do if they even suspect that someone has or uses marijuana.
Imagine this. Your child gets a ride home from school from a classmate. Your child doesn’t know this classmate very well. The classmate gets pulled over for a traffic violation. Let’s say that the officer smells marijuana or, after patting down the driver for any possible weapons, finds marijuana on the driver. It is at this point that the officer searches the car for any other contraband. If the officer finds any other drugs in the car, every one of the occupants will get arrested. Why? Because theoretically, the marijuana found in the car is within everyone’s reach, and that’s probable cause to arrest all occupants. Now you must bail out your child and hire an attorney to defend him or her in court. Whether your child truly possessed marijuana is a matter for the courts and your attorney to hash out. The main point is that the heartache has already begun.
Also imagine that your child goes to a house party. You believe that this party is monitored by adults, but you come to find out when your child arrives that there is no adult there. In addition, your child discovers while at the party that some people there are smoking marijuana, or your child can see a marijuana pipe or actual marijuana on a coffee table. Officers arrive to respond to noise complaints and someone lets them in. They see the marijuana on the coffee table. Now at this point, everyone in the room will get arrested for possessing marijuana, possibly the whole house. Again, theoretically, the marijuana found on the coffee table is within most people’s reach or control. Now you must bail out your child and hire an attorney to defend him or her in court. Whether your child truly possessed marijuana is a matter for the courts and your attorney to hash out.
Parents, you don’t want to experience this heartache. Tell your kids that if they even suspect that marijuana is present, leave immediately. In the first scenario, the driver may have said to your child that they like marijuana or have it on them, or your child may simply have smelt it. If this is the case, he or she should tell the driver to stop and get out immediately. In the second scenario, if your child even suspects marijuana is present, he or she should leave immediately.