Kids from pot houses need help

I had one of these houses just a block away from where I live. Two kids living in the house. Lots of guns. The place was a mess and needed lots of fixing up.

The house is now owned by a nice elderly couple who continue to make improvements. Welcome addition to the neighborhood.

I doubt if in this case the kids were removed from the parents.

Kids from pot houses need help
social workers: Ministry urged to be cautious in placing children with relatives

Doug Ward
Vancouver Sun
Tuesday, September 13, 2005

The Ministry of Children and Family Development should ensure that children apprehended from homes with marijuana-growing operations are not placed with relatives who are also growing pot, the B.C. Association of Social Workers said Monday.

The BCASW said the common policy of removing children from unsafe homes and placing them with relatives may not be advisable in many pot house cases.

"It is not a responsible practice in marijuana grow-op situations as many of the relatives are part of a network of grow-op homes," the BCASW said in a news release.

A new protocol needs to be developed, said the BCASW, to deal with this "emerging child protection crisis." The group cited police statistics indicating that one in five of marijuana houses have children.

In the past, the houses were often run by absentee growers who would show up at a property only once or twice a week to check on their plants. But organized crime groups have in recent years recruited families to live in the houses.

To deal with this trend, the ministry should direct social workers to inspect any designated alternative home and the criminal records of any people who are in them, the BCASW said.

It said people who raise children in marijuana-growing should also be classified as "high-risk parents."

"These children are in danger of poisoning because of the large amounts of fertilizers in close proximity," said Paul Jenkinson, chairman of the BCASW child welfare and family committee.

"The grow-op is a humid environment where moulds grow and affect their respiratory health.

"The electrical bypass that steals electricity from hydro companies puts children at risk of electrocution and house fires......

Complete story here.[/color]