When a parent is faced with a sick child, the urge to provide relief is overwhelming. In many cases, traditional medicine can offer little to no relief and can sometimes even exacerbate the problem. Some Florida parents turn to alternative medicine to help their kids. Doing so, however, can lead to serious legal issues. It is important to contact a child custody attorney before beginning any controversial type of alternative medical treatment.
An example lies in the case of a mother who has lost custody of her two children after giving one of them a smoothie containing marijuana-infused butter. She did so in order to soothe the symptoms caused by a prescription medication. The child was being treated for a medical condition and had been on and off of a powerful antipsychotic that caused hallucinations, vomiting and seizure-like symptoms.
When the mother took the child in to see a doctor later in the day, the child tested positive for marijuana. The authorities were called, and the child was removed from the mother’s care. Both the toddler and her brother were placed in their father’s care, and the mother has been given supervised visitation rights.
As she continues to fight for the return of her children, this mother faces serious legal challenges. Medical marijuana use has not been made legal in the mother’s state of residence. However, even when a medication is deemed legal, parents can run into trouble when they choose to medicate their child outside of a doctor’s care, even when the treatment is a less controversial one. The best way to protect against a negative outcome is to consult a Florida child custody attorney prior to beginning treatment.
Source: idahostatesman.com, “Mom who gave pot butter to daughter still denied custody, judge rules”, Alex Riggins, Dec. 23, 2016
