Families torn apart over pot: As N.Y. moves to legalize marijuana, it must fix agonizing disparities that take children away from black and brown mothers and fathers

I have two folders on my desk. One has articles with titles like “Pot-smoking Mamas” and “Pot for Parents,” espousing the use of marijuana by parents. These commentaries — all by parents from well-heeled backgrounds — share a carefree tone, portraying marijuana use as an upscale diversion that relieves stress, is healthier than drinking, and leads to patience and creative parenting.

The other folder — a thicker one — is full of petitions against parents in the Bronx charging them with child neglect, wholly or in part, for their past and present marijuana use. These petitions are all against black and brown parents who are low-income and who live with the terrifying risk of losing their children — for the same marijuana use that the other more well-to-do parents blithely extol.

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