No matter what you’re told, marijuana use is STILL ILLEGAL in this state. Illegal use of street drugs, including but not limited to marijuana, can and surely will be used against you in a child custody dispute.
And you can’t magically make current (i.e., illegal) use of marijuana legal once medical marijuana use becomes legal in July of 2019. If you use of marijuana now, IT’S ILLEGAL NOW.
If you are a parent and you’re going through a child custody battle, DON’T SMOKE OR OTHERWISE CONSUME WEED!
It does not matter if you ate a marijuana cookie in Colorado or sucked on a marijuana lollipop in Las Vegas. If you have marijuana in your system in Utah, you’re breaking the law.
It does not matter:
- if you claim that you need weed to ease the pain of cancer or any other physical affliction;
- if you claim that you need weed to manage your mental illness; or
- if you claim you that can’t afford prescription medication.
It does not matter what excuses you try to get the court to swallow; illegal use of street drugs, including but not limited to marijuana, can and surely will be used against you in a child custody dispute.
Don’t believe me? Disagree with me? IT DOESN’T MATTER!
MARIJUANA IS ILLEGAL IN UTAH, STILL.
Recreational use of marijuana will still be illegal even after the medical marijuana use exceptions become law.
The solution?
DON’T USE WEED ILLEGALLY! Duh! Don’t let weed come between you and your children. I can’t believe how much I have to fight over this with parents who use weed. It’s not, not nuanced, not up for debate. Use weed and you will be hurt in child custody matters, period.
(And to those naive souls among you who believe that once you have that medical marijuana card you’ll be in the clear, remember you heard it here first (you have been warned): it’s going to take a while before most judges and commissioners in this state will believe that smoking dope, legally or not, doesn’t make you a lousy parent. If you think that having that medical marijuana card means marijuana can’t become an issue in your child custody battle, THINK AGAIN. Be careful with marijuana and child custody).
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277