WWYD if it was your friend

[WWYDifitwasyourfriend]

Who had made no secret of the fact her and her flat mates smoke joints when there are 4 children in the home? one of them being a baby?

Really? People would really report to ss for this? Good gracious!

methadone is legal, and is taken in a clinic not at home. Also methadone is a way of overcoming an additcion, it is not being used recreationally.

Agree Kelly (though round here it's taken in the chemists) but I would imagine the effects would be fairly powerful and would impact on a parents ability to take care of their kids, in much the same way as cannabis would - so I don't necessarily see what SS would do differently.

It's not 'shopping' her to the SS though.

If it isn't affecting her/their care of the children, then SS will decree as such. Contrary to some people's opinion, SWs don't automatically assume that the use of drugs are evil and remove the children. They'll have a look and if, as some people on here have suggested, it's a non-issue nothing will happen and if it is, they'll get support.

If you have a concern about the children then report it.

Do you think the DC arw in any way neglected? Take out the pot smoking from your consideration, for a second. If you have any doubts about the way that they are being fed, bathed, looked after, cuddled, then yes, it is your moral duty to call SS. Note I did not say "shop to SS."

But if everything looks OK and the kids are clean, happy, well-fed, not toowild, then leave well alone.

they are well looked after.

Its just the smoing tbh!

If the kids are well looked after you really shouldn't invovle ss!

If it were my friend and the kids were well looked after I would mind my own business.

No way go to SS. Totally agree with Overmy.

Methadone is legal, but isn't always consumed in the premises. I work in drug and alcohol services and regularly used to get phone calls from children's social workers discussing cannabis. The common consensus was that a spliff most nights wouldn't negatively affect the children any more than the parents having a glass of wine or two.

SS will do nothing if the children are looked after. They dont get involved just because someone smokes cannabis otherwise there would be millions on caseload for goodness sake. Smoking cannabis does not automatically make you a bad or neglectful parent. Its no different form having a few glasses of wine of an evening when the kids are in bed. Yes its illegal... but it really shouldnt be! Alcohol causes far more harm to this society than any other drug.

I think i came across wrong. I have considered going to SS but have not acted on it.

I am of the mind each to their own and as long as the children are not affected then fine. I was gauging others opinions.

They should not be doing something ilegal in front of the kids.

OP you know better if this is pointless or not, but I would try to have a word. Apart from the obvious points listed by ionysis and the health impact, have your friends considered that their behaviour - when kids are present - teaches the kids that this is acceptable and it's fine to smoke joints, thus creating a potential lifetime problem for the kids :(

Can I just clarify something- cannabis out now is completely different than cannabis used 5/10 yrs ago. It is stronger and is far more dangerous. This is why so many more people are suffering paranoia and developing severe mental illness from it. Methadone is completely different and is more physiological - I work with drugs and alcohol dependant people and I would feel far safer with a heroin addict than a cannabis addict. That said the hardest people are crack addicts and alcoholics.

Please don't think the weed is the same as it was years ago as it's like comparing beer to gin.

Those who are comparing a few joints to a few glasses of wine are wrong IMO. Alcohol is labeled units/volume you know if you drink 2 large glasses of red wine at 13 % how it will make you feel but as you are buying weed and cannabis from a dealer who is selling it illegally you have no idea how strong it is. Each batch is different. It's normally measured in "how good this shit is".

There is also no danger of your child waking up and coming downstairs into a cloud of alcoholic fumes that could get into their system.

MrsVidic, I presume you mean that you would be far happier with a heroin addict who is in treatment than a cannabis addict?

Mind you, I agree with you. Give me a heroin user any day over a crack user or alcoholic! Heroin users are much easier to work with!

However, the issues always have to be about significant harm. If someone is using any sort of drug, but manages by and large to keep it away from their children and their children are going to school, clean tidy etc and showing no signs of distress then social services are unlikely to be too twitchy.

What DodieSmith said.
My worry would be the creepy people they meet when they do illegal drugs, inviting those creeps into their lives, effectively.

If the kids are OK and not being neglected then keep right out of it.

Well you have already said the kids are well looked after - so there is your answer. They are not in danger and are not being neglected, calling SS is not necessary.