Inquiry Starts Over Kid Dope Smokers

[boulder]

By EDITH BEVIN

April 2, 2004

 

 

A court may decide if a five-year-old girl allowed to smoke cannabis by her mother is removed from her family.

 

The Northern Territory News yesterday revealed how the girl was witnessed by neighbours lighting a packed bong and breathing in the cannabis smoke.

 

Neighbours said two other girls, sisters aged nine and 13, also smoked cannabis and that all three regularly drank alcohol and smoked tobacco.

 

Assistant Secretary Community Services Carol Peltola said last night Family and Children's Service had not yet decided about the fate of the three children.

 

``Making a decision about what we're going to do depends on a whole range of factors, including the reaction of the parents,'' she said.

 

``Ultimately courts make the decision whether children are removed or not. Our primary concern is for the children and what risk they may be at.''

 

Ms Peltola confirmed the family was known to the department. She said the family's file had not previously contained allegations of drug abuse by the children.

 

One of the family's neighbours claimed she had spoken twice to Family and Children's Services about her concerns regarding the five-year-old's drug use.

 

Community Services Minister Marion Scrymgour yesterday criticised the Northern Territory News in Parliament for allegedly not reporting the case to welfare workers before going to press.

 

But the Health Department's senior public relations officer, Bernadette Keefe, was told at 1.30pm on Wednesday.

 

Northern Territory News

[Guest]

What did I tell you. The politicians and media are already using it as ammo in their fight against innocent recreational pot smoking. This story just like the last one puts all the emphasis on evil old marijuana and almost no attention is given to the far more serious alcohol and cigarette use. This is such a classic propaganda ploy. Using children as a weapon. "We must save them from marijuana by toughening laws against its production and sale. For the sake of the children." Just wait and see. Next will come an outcry from child welfare groups and anti-drug lobbies prodded into wailing placard waving action by the powers that be. This is how societies are manipulated and controlled. Clever selective editing and sensationalism of the 'right news' over the 'wrong news'. Combined with the mindless and predictable assistance of pressure groups(theres one for everything). The stories might be true but who decides which stories reach print? The same guy who goes golfing with members of cabinet at the weekend.

[bongenon420]

ive probably said this before but you called it dude.

your a fucken enlightened cunt i'll give ya that.

[Guest You've all been had]

APRIL FOOLS

 

and if you saw the foto you would see the cone was empyt, and the girl wasn't holding the lighter correctly

 

[Guest]

Probably because she'd finished it. I haven't seen you post anything that supports your april fool claim. This report was on the evening television news. Interesting handle. Did you come here and join the board only to tell us you thought the story fabricated? If so then please tell us how many other boards you've visited to do the same thing. If not then who are you? Not Ferenge420 I hope.

[garywmeyerhoff]

Ok - they are real people - but I am not saying that the story isn't fabricated - i never said it was fabricated either....

 

http://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners...pic=6100&st=8

[garywmeyerhoff]

http://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners...ST&f=50&t=6135#

[garywmeyerhoff]

Edith Bevin paid for the photos - click here to see thread

[Guest]

Its interesting that it all happened a long time ago but the press aren't all that notable for getting stories quickly. I remember a current affair program about people using straws squeezed through the change slot of payphones to get refunds. It was going on for atleast a year before someone told them but they told it like it was some new phenomenon. The press mislead us as they see fit but they don't make stories up completely from scratch unless they are certain they can get away with it. Edited April 9, 2004 by Chong