Child tells Omaha police how she used marijuana (4 year-old)

Omaha World-Herald ^ | Feb 23, 2008 | TODD COOPER

[Hat-Trick]

Child tells Omaha police how she used marijuana
BY TODD COOPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The girl sat down, told investigators she smokes pot and, using a pen, demonstrated how she does it — just like her mom.

The girl is 4.

Now, her mother, Lisa Schuchard, 25, is facing a felony child abuse charge — and a hearing on her parental rights — on allegations that she taught, and encouraged, her daughter to smoke marijuana.

Schuchard has pleaded not guilty and is in the Douglas County Jail. Her attorney, Douglas County Assistant Public Defender Doug Johnson, said he couldn't comment because he hasn't had a chance to speak with Schuchard in depth.

According to police and court reports:

Someone called Child Protective Services to complain that Schuchard's 4-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy were filthy dirty and that drug paraphernalia was strewn about Schuchard's home near 34th and Hamilton Streets. The caller also complained that the kids were forced to sleep a lot — and that Schuchard and her live-in boyfriend, Christopher Gladden, were "always sleeping."

On Feb. 12, Omaha police went to the home and found the children within reach of drug paraphernalia.

They also found a large bruise on the 4-year-old's right cheek and several bruises on her buttocks and upper legs.

The girl told police that Gladden hit her repeatedly with a belt — and slammed a door in her face, causing the knob to bruise her cheek.

The 4-year-old then gave this account of the marijuana use to detectives, according to police and court reports:

She described Schuchard and Gladden, 23, smoking "joints."

The 4-year-old said joints are brown and have green "weed" inside. She said weed also can be smoked from a bong and a pipe.

The 4-year-old then "demonstrated (very well) how she smokes from a 'joint,' 'bong' and 'pipe' during the interview," an Omaha police detective wrote. "She said that her mother and Chris give both her and her brother the weed to smoke.

"(She) said that she smokes in front of her mom and Chris' friends and that they laugh when she smokes."

Police have no evidence the 2-year-old boy actually used marijuana, but both he and his sister have been placed in foster care.

Authorities have scheduled a medical exam in which they plan to test the girl's hair follicles for the presence of marijuana.

An initial hearing on the mother's parental rights is next week.

Before the girl told of her marijuana use, Schuchard and Gladden had been charged with misdemeanor child abuse.

Gladden immediately pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts — and was sentenced to six months in jail.

Deputy Douglas County Attorney Steve Gabrial said prosecutors cannot increase his charges to felonies because it would constitute double jeopardy.

However, Shuchard now is charged with a felony. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison.

Gabrial, who has specialized in child abuse prosecutions for the past five years, said he has seen cases of children ingesting their parents' drugs — typically, their pills.

But rarely on purpose, he said, and never this young.

[Gondring]

Thank goodness! For a minute there I thought that four year old was smoking a...a...a...cigarette! *SMIRK*

LOL!

The BATFE is deeply saddened that they didn't get to play.

[nmh]

I think I’d have to have scripture of Jesus not looking kindly on cannabis, since it was in the pharmacopoeia of the world.

Look up pharmaki - it's where we get the word Pharmacy from ... in Greek - you'll need to check the spelling. Mind altering drugs aren’t acceptable. Also if you’re really interested look up sorcery in the Bible and then in a Concordance to see how it is used in various passages - it’s quite an eye opener.

Funny NO ONE in the Bible had to use antidepressant to “feel better” and many had legitimate reasons to be depressed ... and were ... and over came it.

Going along with your “logic” ... I suppose arsenic, a natural substance should also be taken to enhance your “health”? LOL! Just because it exists doesn’t mean it’s good for you ... .

[William Terrell]

The civilized countries of the world used cannabis for a variety of diseases. Mind altering is just a side effect, if the mild and temporary euphoria could be called "mind-altering" with any credibility.

That many people like the side effect is neither here nor there; the components of cannabis target several different physical problems, therefore was prescribed by the medical people of the day.

Show me some passage that condemns things that have a euphoric effect. Show me a prohibition of "mind-altering" drugs. Do not use alcohol. We have and use alcohol now, as have in all our history.

Funny NO ONE in the Bible had to use antidepressant to “feel better” and many had legitimate reasons to be depressed ... and were ... and over came it.

Are you saying that to live a Christ filled life, believing in His Gospel and drawing faith from that belief, you're required to experience natural pain, and endure it without remedy for its duration, when there is a plant that will ease it?

Are you saying that to live such a life, one must not feel physical euphoria, even that caused by a plant?

Why would you think Jesus would require that, when He said love your neighbor, and He Himself healed many from much greater pain.

I suppose arsenic, a natural substance should also be taken to enhance your “health”?

Well,noooo, arsenic is known to kill people except in precise measured doses tailored to the body mass of the person taking it. That mineral along with other herbs and potions will do harm and kill others, used by "sorcers" which practice is comdemed by Paul.

Are you tracking, here?

[nmh]

I know it’s terribly important for you to have the last word ...

I didn’t bother to read your response. It's just more nonsense so

have the last word!

[rb22982]

Mind altering drugs aren’t acceptable

Alcohol is more mind altering than marijuana is. It's also got a far higher intoxication and addictive rate than marijuana. I do agree with most of your belief on all the cocktail medications being passed around so freely. I (and my parents did after a while) saw what it was doing to my brother growing up (ADHD/ADD was just getting popular then in the early 90s) and took him off it. I've seen cocktail drugs do as much harm as good, if not more harm.

[robertpaulsen]

"I know many parents that have given their young children alcohol as well"

I had to double check the subject of this thread. I was right. It's about marijuana, not alcohol.

If smoked marijuana is medicine, then why do we restrict it to those 18 and older in the states that allow it? Do you know of ANY other medicine that's restricted like this?

I really hate to think of poor, sick, little 4-year-old Tommy who's suffering because mean ol' rb22982 won't share his medicine. Where's your compassion? I thought you cared for the sick and dying?

Gosh. Maybe this "smoked marijuana as medicine" IS the scam that everyone says it is, huh?

[varyouga]

Everyone goes through bad times. But depression is feeling down even in ‘good’ times.

The time I was most depressed, everything was going ‘great’ but it didn’t feel that way.

It hit me the hardest when I realized there was no reason to be depressed but I still was. I had everything I wanted but hated myself even more for still being down and not appreciating what I had.

When you’re not happy with life and don’t see any way to improve it, suicide sticks in your mind. It’s always there and the only question for me was ‘when’ and not ‘if’.

I managed to get better by radically changing my diet and eating lots of vitamin rich food. There had to have been a chemical imbalance since I am not constantly depressed anymore for no reason. My life is actually harder now than while I was depressed.

I never went on the meds because I refused to put synthetics into my body. The brain is so complex that nobody knows how they work. I was more afraid of the meds than suicide.

I do get down sometimes but only when there are good reasons for it. This is normal and not depression.

IMO, many cases of depression today are due to junk food. There are thousands of chemicals in food today that weren’t used before and I doubt they were tested for psychological effects.

[varyouga]

If smoked marijuana is medicine, then why do we restrict it to those 18 and older in the states that allow it? Do you know of ANY other medicine that's restricted like this?

Yes. Many drugs are not approved by the FDA for kids for various reasons.

And IMO, MJ is very bad for the developing mind so people under 18 should not use it.

If MJ was legalized, there would be no reason to smoke it. It would be cheap enough to eat instead. You can also vaporize it and get the same effect as smoking with no smoke.

And yes, certain stains have medicinal value. I have seen it first hand for various conditions. For pain relief, MJ is not addictive and has less side-effects than narcotic pain killers.

Narcotic painkillers are essentially synthesized, FDA approved heroin. How can the gov't approve heroin but not MJ?

[robertpaulsen]

"Many drugs are not approved by the FDA for kids for various reasons."

The only reason of which I'm aware is the fact that the drug in question was never tested on children.

"How can the gov't approve heroin but not MJ?"

They don't. As with marijuana, heroin is a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse and serve no legitimate medical purpose in the United States.

[nmh]

Guess we just don’t agree.

It’s a soul issue, not a chemical or a food issue.

[rb22982]

Marijuana is restricted unlike alcohol because of people like you who don't look at rational facts and just go simply on emotion. I don't smoke it and only tried it a couple times in my late teens and hated it but you marijuana drug wars irritate me to know end. Stop wasting my tax dollars.

But as to the subject about giving marijuana or any other drug to a kid that's not prescribed by a doctor (which even if you believe in the medicinal purposes of marijuana, it wouldn't ever be for a 4 year old kid), the parents should go to jail for neglect and abuse and have their kids taken from them. I'd hold that true with marijuana, alcohol, oxycotin, etc.

[varyouga]

Narcotic painkillers are essentially designer heroin. Oxycontin is proven as potent, damaging and addictive as heroin.

But instead of being made naturally by a plant where anyone can make it, it is made in labs so they can make money off the patent. Synthetics are also more likely to cause side effects than their natural counterparts.

Biggest evidence of big pharma conspiracy:

The Rx Drug “Marinol” is synthetic THC. The same active ingredient as Marijuana but synthesized in a lab.

The government already approved what is essentially marijuana but only so big pharma can make money on it.

So a synthesized pill that you pay a few bucks for is legal while an essentially free plant that you can grow in your backyard that does the same thing is not.

This is jackbooted for the people that can get a Marinol Rx. If you can get an Rx for Marinol, why not make it interchangeable with Marijuana? Why force me to pay a corporation?

[robertpaulsen]

"Stop wasting my tax dollars."

So if it could be demonstrated that legalizing marijuana would actually cost the taxpayers more (in regulation, drug treatment, enforcement, etc.), you're saying you'd be against legalization.

"it wouldn't ever be for a 4 year old kid)"

Marijuana, the XXX medicine for adults only.

[William Terrell]

If you didn't read my response, how do you know it's nonsense? Simply because it contradicts what you say?

[nmh]

“If you didn’t read my response, how do you know it’s nonsense? Simply because it contradicts what you say? “

Past experience.

You have a reputation for posting nonsensical replies.

After awhile, ADULTS ignore it.

[2001convSVT]

More liberal family values!

[William Terrell]

But I notice you don't attempt to address the logic.

[Mojave]

Marijuana, the XXX medicine for adults only.

That shut 'em up.

[robertpaulsen]

"That shut 'em up."

How many times I've thought that.