By Emily Sullivan
Opinion Editor
Ever since the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington Nov. 6, people have been discussing whether or not the drug should be made legal in other states. But just like the use of alcohol, it is safe to say that there will be restrictions when it comes to using weed, such as age restrictions and legal amounts.
But for now, the recreational use of marijuana is still illegal in most states, including Kentucky.
But for some reason, Beth Hensley and Tracy Hensley thought it would be fun to take pictures of their family smoking marijuana, featuring three unwilling models all under the age of five.
Tracy and her mother Beth took pictures of Tracy’s young children holding marijuana and attempting to smoke joints, according to a Nov. 13 Huffington Post article. When the police arrived at Beth’s residence, they found 24 marijuana plants surrounding the property, as well as processed marijuana in a plastic bag.
But how did loving grandmother, Beth, respond when police questioned her?
“It was just something to show them later on in a picture album how crazy their grandmother was,” Beth said.
Fortunately, police didn’t find the joke as humorous as Tracy and Beth did. Beth is being charged with trafficking, possession and cultivation of marijuana, while Tracy is being charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and unlawful transaction with a minor.
Tracy’s five children, whose ages ranged from 1 to 7, were taken away from her and placed with a relative.
One of the major arguments when it comes to weed is whether or not it has negative effects on people. Some say the drug is harmful; others say it’s not.
In this case, it doesn’t matter if the drug is bad or not. In Kentucky, recreational marijuana is illegal. But even if it was legal, I highly doubt children would be allowed to smoke it. Weed still makes you feel high and causes disorientation. It impairs your senses just as much as alcohol does, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
But I’ve never seen a mother let her child pretend to drink out of a full beer bottle just for a few laughs, and alcohol is a legal substance.
Imagine the outrage people would have had if a mother and grandmother photographed their child pretending to shoot heroin into their arm or snort a line of cocaine. While the danger of marijuana is not as high as the danger of cocaine or heroin, the point is that all three are illegal and all three should not be given to a child for a laugh.
It’s not funny. At all.
I don’t rejoice in seeing a mother losing her children, but in this situation, I support the decision to take them away.
Sneak a kid some chocolate before dinner, sure. Let them play with drugs?
I don’t think so.
