While Colorado has legalized marijuana and other states are moving to decriminalize or legalize its use, Texas takes a hard approach to pot. That was more than evident in the tragedy surrounding the death of a two-year-old little girl named Alexandria Hill who died from injuries in an abusive foster home after she was taken away due to her parent’s use of marijuana.

We have previously seen abuses of the child welfare system like the professor who had his custody taken away and was banned from his own home because his son unwittingly bought a hard lemonade rather than a regular lemonade at a Michigan football game. However, this case resulted in the death of this child who was first put through not one but two abusive foster homes.

Joshua Hill does not deny that he would sometimes use pot after putting his daughter to bed. This might be viewed as a minor issue in most states, but not Texas. Authorities removed Alex from the home and sent her to a foster home where she was abused. On visitations, Joshua Hill would find bruises on her and there would be mold and mildew in her lunch box. Finally, Texas removed her to the foster home of Sherill Small. It would be a death sentence for the little girl.

Alex was taken to the hospital and put on life support in a coma. Alex was hemorrhaging in her brain and eyes from blunt force trauma to the head. Those are classic symptoms of “shaken baby syndrome.” She lasted only a few days and died. They arrested Small for murder. Small and her husband, Clemon Small, reportedly handle five or six children as a source of income.

The case illustrates that the legalization of pot involves a myriad of issues beyond the question of arrests. Pot arrests lead to criminal records that bar employment and family law issues from custody to child welfare proceedings.

Of course, putting Alex in a succession of abusive homes was viewed as better than leaving her with parents suspected of pot use. Problem solved.

Source: KVUE