The governor of California signed a bill on Tuesday that includes provisions mandating that social workers who are called to investigate child welfare handle parental marijuana use in the same way that they do for alcohol.
Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D) sponsored the legislation, which is one of about a dozen cannabis-related bills that have been sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in recent weeks.
Under the now-enacted law, the state Department of Social Services (DSS) is required to update “all regulations, all-county letters, and other instructions relating to the investigation of a minor” to stipulate that “when a social worker is investigating an alleged case of child abuse or neglect, a parent’s or guardian’s use or possession of cannabis is treated in the same manner as a parent’s or guardian’s use or possession of alcohol and legally prescribed medication.”
In some states, parental marijuana consumption can be used as a justification for removing custody, even if there is no indication of danger to the child.
Jones-Sawyer said in a summary for the bill that “cannabis use alone should not be a basis for state intervention into family life.”
“As is the case with alcohol and prescription medication, parents and guardians
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