Tag Archives: Texas

More than 300 child abuse deaths in last decade linked to THC

We frequently hear about children hospitalized or poisoned by marijuana edibles, but we don’t often hear about the significant number of children who died of child abuse or neglect associated with THC! 

The totals compiled by Parents Opposed to Pot reached a new milestone — 302. Our tracking begins on  October 30, 2012, and continues through early 2023. 

Texas released its 2022 maltreatment fatalities report in March.  Of the 182 child abuse deaths last year, 73 of the perpetrators were active marijuana users.  In contrast, only 12 used alcohol, 10 used cocaine and 6 used opiates. Continue reading More than 300 child abuse deaths in last decade linked to THC

Was Marijuana-Induced Psychosis a Trigger for Triple Child Murder?

Press Release – A horrific family tragedy could be the result of marijuana use by a depressed mom. The bodies of two toddlers and an infant were found.

MERRIFIELD, VA, US, April 15, 2021 — The discovery of a triple murder of three young children (ages 3, 2 and 6 months) on April 10 in Reseda, California, points to the dangers of using marijuana to self-medicate. The only suspect, the children’s mom Liliana Carrillo, struggled with post-partum depression in the past. Under the influence of her frequent marijuana use, a fact confirmed by the father, she showed symptoms of psychosis. When psychosis is coupled with drug use, the risk for extreme violence goes up significantly. Liliana is alleged to have killed her children by bludgeoning and drowning.

From what can be gleaned from the Los Angeles Times article on the murders, Liliana was experiencing some of the worst side effects of marijuana. She was reported to exhibit delusional thinking, paranoia, agitation, suicidal thoughts, and had recently lost touch with reality. Teri Miller, an ER doctor who is also a cousin of the children’s father, described to authorities that Liliana was a danger to the children and declared that when the murders occurred it was a clear psychiatric emergency.

Continue reading Was Marijuana-Induced Psychosis a Trigger for Triple Child Murder?

Horrible child abuse death in Texas highlights links to marijuana

A Texas man fatally stabbed his 16-month-old son, yelling “Jesus is coming,” in Lewisville, outside of Dallas, on August 19. Authorities say 27-year-old Blair Ness is charged in the death of his toddler son Ashton Ness.

Photo from Dallas News, Ashley Landis, Staff Photographer

Police say they found “fresh burnt marijuana as well as a haze of smoke in the apartment,” and blood in multiple areas of the apartment.  Ness started his attack inside and then continued outside in a courtyard.  A neighbor shot the father in his leg to stop the killing.

The man told police, “I know everyone’s mad, I’m mad. I killed my son.”   A caller to 911  expresses the disbelief and absurdity of the situation.  We send our condolences to the mother and the family.

Blair Ness, the father accused of stabbing his son, had no previous child abuse incidents or problems with the law

The incident suggests a marijuana-induced psychosis, a problem that figures in about 10% of the child abuse deaths Parents Opposed to Pot has tracked.

In Vermont last year, a father – in the midst of psychosis — jumped four stories with his 6-year-old son.  Anxious and suicidal, Tyler Denning had been smoking marijuana that morning, and claimed that God made him do it.  Fortunately, both father and son survived.

Death Highlights Cannabis’ role in Texas child-abuse death

In March, Texas released its report on child abuse deaths, finding half the 172 child abuse deaths in 2017 coupled with substance abuse.  Marijuana was the most-used substance connected to child abuse and neglect deaths, followed by alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamine.  In one terrible case last year, Cynthia Randolph left her 1-year old and 2-year-old in the car while she smoked pot.  Both children died.

According to the report, of the deaths caused by parent or caregiver substance abuse, 56 used marijuana; 23 used alcohol; 16 involved cocaine; 14 were linked to methamphetamine, 2 involved opiates and 1 was connected to heroin.   Many abusers were co-abusing substances, such as combining marijuana and cocaine.

In 2017, Arizona also published a report showing that marijuana was the substance most often linked to child abuse deaths in 2016.

When will the public wake up?

Those who say that marijuana makes people calm misunderstand how cannabis works on their brain.   People who advocate for “responsible” use of marijuana need to cut out the delusion and misrepresentation. Popular magazines such as Oprah, Allure and Cosmopolitan present marijuana use as glamorous or at the cutting edge of our culture.  A California company MedMen, aka The Mad Men of Marijuana, aggressively tries to rebrand the stoner image.

In Atlantic Magazine last week, Annie Lowrey wrote an article  exposing the truth about marijuana addiction.  While the author tells the truth about addiction, she opines that marijuana is relatively benign compared to alcohol and tobacco. She may be basing her belief on old information, when 3 or 4% of the population used weed, vs. 65% using alcohol.  Marijuana is far more toxic to the brain than tobacco.

Meanwhile, our country focuses on opiate addiction, instead of  poly-drug  abuse.

In Pennsylvania, a child died because her mom gave her a drink laced with fentanyl and then smoked marijuana.  Although the fentanyl killed the girl, the mom’s marijuana use is loosely related to the death.

Children of Stoner Parents Fall, More Likely to Fail

(Read Part 1, in this series about the older children of pot-using parents, Custody issues, and Part 2, children in fires and BHO explosions. )

Teen Who Ate Mom’s Pot Fell Off Balcony; Boy Drowned in Canada

On April 14 in Fort Collins, Colorado, a 19-year-old fell off the 3rd floor balcony after ingesting a marijuana edible his mother had given him.    Austin Essig survived the fall, but what about his mom’s judgment?    

It is not clear who gave or sold marijuana to Haven Dubois, a 14-year-old boy in Saskatchewan who drowned, but his mother wishes that police had investigated more thoroughly. There were other teens with him, but did the police even try to get the bottom of the issue?    “It’s so easy for them to brush it aside. It’s just another dead Indian to them.”   Pamela McColl of SAM Canada would like to see those who provide marijuana to teens who suffer harm held accountable, the same way those who give drinks to young people are held responsible for fatal accidents.  (McColl is the editor of On Marijuana which contains important essays by international specialists such as Mary Brett of the United Kingdom.) Continue reading Children of Stoner Parents Fall, More Likely to Fail