If Pot is not legal in your state (or actually, even if it is)

[DawnM]

What is done if a person under the age of 21 is caught with it?  

Long story short, we have some friends whose 15 year old was found with pot.  Mom blew up and called the police to the house because the kid was acting, well, like a 15 year old caught with pot.

The police didn't do anything but talk to her about how she should handle it (talk to him about the dangers, etc...) and then they left.  They SAW the pot, they told her she should confiscate it and destroy it, but didn't take it themselves.

No police report was filed, no charges, no warnings, nothing.

I was a bit surprised actually.  And I spoke to the officer at my school and asked him if that was normal and he kind of hemmed and hawed and said, "Well......typically they don't do a whole lot unless the person is distributing or selling.  Personal pot isn't a huge deal, esp. if it is under a certain amount.   It being a minor, they probably saw the mom was concerned and involved, so they didn't pursue anything."

Is this how it is where you live?  I thought it was a bigger deal......I guess not.

[Carrie12345]

No personal experience here, but I'd expect much the same. Our officers are very busy with meth, heroin, DUIs, domestics, constant vehicle accidents, yadda yadda. The last time I heard about a pot arrest was for a major grower around the corner. A teen with involved parents is a win.

[HomeAgain]

It is not a big deal where I live, but then again, law enforcement across the country is looking at how the 3-strikes law of the 80s/90s really hurt a lot of people.

I would not call the cops if my 15yo had pot in the house.  I'd call the doctor, schedule an appointment, and let the doctor explain how the brain reacts when under 25.  Calling the cops makes me think the mom is completely out of touch with how a punitive justice system can take a 15yo's mistake and make it a lifelong sentence.  I think I'd be inclined to tell exactly that to my friend, too.

[JustEm]

I would expect the same thing from the officer.  They are likely to respond differently if they come across the weed under different circumstances, so if they find it in a car after pulling the teenager over for speeding or reckless driving.  I can't believe she could call the cops over that.

[StephanieZ]

Geese, Louise. That mom was really wasting the time of the LEOs. Using the police as a parenting tool is lazy and disrespectful, IMHO.

That's about what I'd expect from LEOs -- sounds like they were respectful and reasonable. They are overwhelmed with serious criminal problems, and from what I understand, the vast majority wouldn't pursue pot possession charges.  

I've heard directly from folks who work at a federal prison in my full-prohibition state. . . that even when the prison catches folks trying to smuggle in big bags of pot (like a quart size zip loc), when they call the state troopers and/or county sheriff, they won't bother to come to the prison to arrest/prosecute the smuggler. So, the prison has to just let them go. Truly, LEO is overwhelmed with meth/heroin/abuse/violence . . . and they're really not in the business of wasting their time and resources prosecuting what the vast majority of people (and LEOs) understand to be outdated and stupid laws. They're just waiting for the law to catch up with reality. 

So, yah, LEOs aren't generally going to waste their precious resources pursing possession charges. 

 

[Tanaqui]

I would no more call the police over this than I would over my child not doing their homework. This isn't even about how seriously I take marijuana usage - I wouldn't call them if my kid was high on meth either, because my goal then would be to get the kid help. The police aren't going to help, and the whole thing destroys trust.

[Xahm]

Yet people do call the police over a child's failure to do homework or do their chores. My husband has been called in and told "make him respect me!" He generally doesn't tell the adult "nope, at this point, I don't think he should. You just called the cops on him," but he does take the kid aside and explain that keeping mom happy well make their life easier and that doing well in school will help them get a job that lets them move out sooner. Most Leo in this area actively try not to learn about it if people are smoking in their own homes or back yards, and don't do too much about a group of kids in the woods except check for runways and outstanding warrants. They know that getting a police record at a young age can make it harder to get a job later, which makes it more likely the person will turn to crime to make ends meet.

[J-rap]

Gosh, I have no idea how it's handled in my present state!  In my old state, I remember going to a high school basketball game, and a classmate dropped her purse while walking inside the gym and a joint tumbled out...  the police were called and they arrested her and it was a really big deal.  But that was California and now it's mostly legal there...

I wouldn't have called the police though, I would have dealt with it myself.  I have a relative who called the police on her dd who used the family car without telling and she only had a driver's permit.  Mom called the police and brought them out to the house, etc.  She wanted to scare her dd into learning a lesson.  I remember thinking the parents should have handled it themselves instead of taking up the police time.  I don't recall what the police did... maybe issue her dd a warning?

[Scarlett]

I have a relative in a state where it is not legal and some was on the table when LE were called by the neighbors because of a big domestic screaming and shoving match.  They did nothing at the time but I believe it might have triggered dhs involvment.  

[bolt.]

It’s legal here in Canada, and the legal age is 18 in my province (as is normal in many provinces for other controlled substances).

The laws say, “Youth who possess 5 grams or less will not be charged criminally (which could negatively impact their future), but will be subject to seizure of the cannabis, notification of parents or guardians, and penalties similar to those for underage possession of alcohol or tobacco.”

If they are criminally charged, it could be “up to 5 years in prison” for possession — similar to an adult for possession over the limit. Most likely it this would be redirected towards rehab etc. I wouldn’t expect hard-time for youth posession.

The penalty on giving or selling cannabis products to youth is “up to 14 years in prison”.

 

Edited December 2, 2018 by bolt.

[Mergath]

It isn't the job of the police to lecture children on how to behave. And many states, while they haven't made recreational marijuana use legal across the board, have decriminalized the possession of small amounts. 

I don't know if the penalty is different for minors or not, but from what I googled, here in MN if you have under something like forty-two grams, you get a $200 fine and have to attend drug education. More than forty-two grams and you're looking at five years in prison, increasing based on how much you have.

[Arctic Bunny]

Big difference between Mom finding it in kid’s room, and, say, driving under the influence, as others have said above. Again, Canada, and in a province that wasn’t charging/prosecuting for small amount *before* it was legal. There are simply not enough police resources.

[Condessa]

Basically no one ever gets prosecuted for possession of most drugs.  There are many “possession” convictions on the books, but those are almost universally pled down from charges of distribution.

[Liz CA]

Only certain amounts would raise an eyebrow and then it would make a difference where it was found.

[DawnM]

Thanks guys.  I just wasn't aware.

Yeah, I know she tends to be over the top, but I also know she is a single mom, hanging on by a thread, and feeling her kids are out of control, which unfortunately seems to make her more controlling, so it is counter-productive.

I know her, but we aren't close, so I don't really feel I can speak much into the situation, but I did comment to her after talking to our SRO that it probably wouldn't be the best idea to call again.

[Lanny]

With 70K people in the USA dying of drug overdoes each year, 50% of them from Fentanyl, I doubt the police officers would care much about someone having a tiny amount of Pot.

We are in Colombia, which is an ocean of drugs, but, fortunately, the vast majority of them are exported.  There is drug use here, and I believe it is increasing, because of the very strong ties between the USA and Colombia, and the movies from the USA and the music, etc. Drug use here is not common and is frowned upon, by the vast majority of Colombians.

To try to answer your question, under the previous President, they did pass a law allowing a "personal dose".  That has proved to be extremely controversial, to say the least.  I think they were going to revoke it, but am not sure about the current status.

Recently, I began participating in another forum, the other one is a travel board for Colombia. I spend far more time on WTM than I do on the other forum.  To show you how this spreads, someone had read somewhere about the "personal dose" and was convinced that he could come down here and travel around the country stoned and that it would be perfectly legal and that everyone here would be OK with his behavior. Hardly the case.  I and a bunch of others tried to explain to him that even if it were legal, he might not enjoy learning Spanish in a Colombian Jail, and that he would be much better off, if he went to a U.S. state where Recreational Pot is sold legally, or to Canada, or to Europe, and not risk being jailed here, while trying to convince the system that he was within his "rights", as an alien tourist in this country, doing drugs.  The only people here who would find what he wanted to do OK would be the criminals who sold him the Pot and the drug users he associated with here while on his vacation.

I am glad the Police did not follow through with that boy, because it might have had a profound effect on his life, when he applies for jobs and if he applies for Security Clearances, etc. Best that he avoid issues with the legal system...

 

[Bootsie]

I think in my area it depends on the particular county and city limits you are in, and who the particular officer is, as well as who the parents are.  Generally, it would be handled differently if it is on private property versus a teen found with pot in a car they were driving.  At the private residence it becomes an issue of who is actually in possession (and responsible)--is it the teen or the parent.  Although they have been invited onto the premises by the property owner, if they don't have a warrant, they may be cautious about any "search"

[SKL]

I don't know, but I'm actually glad they did not file a report about it.  At 15 you should expect your kid to do some stupid things, and it would not be reasonable for minor things like that to follow him throughout his life.  Although theoretically a juvenile record is sealed bla bla bla, it is still there and will be found out if anyone looks deep enough.

Personally I don't think I'd call the cops on my kid for that, though I would be extremely upset and might have a hard time figuring out what an appropriate punishment would be.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

7 hours ago, hjffkj said:

I would expect the same thing from the officer.  They are likely to respond differently if they come across the weed under different circumstances, so if they find it in a car after pulling the teenager over for speeding or reckless driving.  I can't believe she could call the cops over that.

You’d be surprised what people call the cops over. “My kid won’t clean his room.” My 7yo won’t go to bed.” “My 9yo’s friend borrowed their bike and hasn’t returned it.” “My kid’s having a tantrum, won’t do their homework, hit his sister...” Drives my DH nuts. It’s such a huge waste of time for a department that’s already stretched so thin. 

[Faith-manor]

Same thing here. The reality is meth and some of these stupid novelty drugs that go around from bath crystals to kids eating Tide Pods to....when added to the Opiod epidemic keeps them hopping. It isn't that they aren't concerned about these youngsters, but if the parents look like they are going to intervene, references to help through community services and family court is what is going to happen. They are not going to clog the criminal courts with "15 year old got caught with a doobie" kind of thing. I am okay with that if the parent is actually going to be proactive. The reality is that 15 is young to have a drug bust on his/her record that might, depending on the judge, not be expunged after the 18th birthday, It's the kind of thing that could keep the new, young adult out of college, professional licensing programs, certain trades, jobs, etc. No thanks. If that young life can be turned around without the possibility of such drastic measures, then I'm all for it. Our police departments are stretched thin, and when they have the opportunity to protect a young person from horrible fall out over something much less dangerous than other drugs, I am thankful they try.

[Wheres Toto]

1 hour ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

You’d be surprised what people call the cops over. “My kid won’t clean his room.” My 7yo won’t go to bed.” “My 9yo’s friend borrowed their bike and hasn’t returned it.” “My kid’s having a tantrum, won’t do their homework, hit his sister...” Drives my DH nuts. It’s such a huge waste of time for a department that’s already stretched so thin. 

I had a homeschool mom threaten to call the cops on my son when he was 6.  Because he had supposedly "pummeled" her about 11 year old daughter.  Her word.  He didn't actually touch her daughter, he swatted at the pompom strings of her hat, got scolded/corrected for it and told to apologize, and that was it.

I think the mom was lucky the cops didn't do much.  What did she expect?  If they arrested him, it could have impacted his whole life and I would think that would do irreparable damage to their relationship. 

[Tanaqui]

FFS. I'll admit there may be areas where I would think it's reasonable to call the cops, but they'd have to be... you know, actually criminal. "My child assaulted his sibling with a knife, and this isn't the first time he's gone beyond normal childhood squabbling" or "I strongly suspect my child is considering an act of terrorism, and I'm legitimately frightened".