A New York toddler has been placed with Child Protective Services after authorities arrested the toddler's teenage parents for forcing the child to smoke marijuana.
Jessica Kelsey, 17; George Kelsey, 18; and Jessica’s father, Don Baker, 54, all of Mayville, N.Y., were charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child,
authorities told the Buffalo News. Jessica and George Kelsey are the 23-month-old child's parents.
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The Chautauqua County sheriff’s office said that the alleged offense happened in the family's apartment where the three live on Dec. 5. The child reportedly smoked marijuana from a lit bowl.
"They packed the marijuana pipe, lit it for the baby and gave it to him and encouraged him to inhale...it's just unbelievable,"
Undersheriff Charles Holder told WIVB-TV.
The three adults were arraigned in Town of Chautauqua Court and held on $20,000 bond.
WGRZ-TV reported the toddler and another child are currently in the care of Child Protective Services.
"You have a 23-month-old child who's completely helpless, can't really say yes or no, wants to please their parents and grandparent, and this is what you do? There should be some serious consequences," Jodie Altman, executive director of Renaissance House, told WIVB-TV.
The Renaissance House conducts the Kids Escaping Drugs program that educates students about the dangers of drugs.
Altman said babies of young parents are often victims of such reckless activities.
"Unfortunately, when babies are having babies, that's what happens," Altman said. "You know, you need a license for everything. But you don't need a license to be a parent."
Altman said that there are multiple videos online of other 2-year-olds smoking marijuana, including one from the state of Washington last year and another in Cincinnati from several years ago.
Marijuana use among young people can create short-term effects, including difficulty in thinking and problem solving, memory, and learning, loss of coordination, and distorted perception.
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