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"Weediquette" explores controversial Kansas laws
> JARRET ROGERS
RYAN WRIGHT
@larrerRogers
@ryanwaynewright
Kansas, a state with strict laws forbidding marijuana possession and usage, is the latest topic on Viceland's show, "Weediquette" which returns for its second season tonight. The first episode of the second season, titled "Stoned Parents" features two Kansas women whose children were removed from their care because the Kansas Department for Children and Families found marijuana or drug paraphernalia in their homes.
Illustration by Jacob Benson
"Weediquette" host Krishna Andavolu traveled to Hays and Garden City to talk with the mothers and to further investigate marijuana policies in the state. Andavolu said Kansas' unique location made the state an interesting place to shoot the episode.
"I think the proximity to Colorado offers a very intriguing kind of microscopic view of how there's two worlds in this country when it comes to marijuana and marijuana law and, in this case, how they affect families," Andavolu said.
Andavolu and his team spent a brief amount of time in Colorado, a state where marijuana use is legal, to see what life is like for parents who use the drug. Afterwards, they jumped the border and spoke with Jasmine Klaer and Shona Banda who lost their children after law enforcement found drug paraphernalia in their homes.
According to the episode, when she moved her family into a house with multiple
tenants, Klaer discovered meth was being cooked and sold there. Klaer said she kicked everyone out in order to protect her family. However, Klaer's children were removed from her custody after authorities raided the home, unaware that the meth dealers were no longer present, and found two bongs. Klaer claims that she has never smoked marijuana.
Banda is a former Colorado resident who moved to Kansas to receive family support after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease. The show says her son spoke up in a class discussion about marijuana and said his mother, who uses the drug as treatment for Crohn's disease, refers to weed as cannabis. Her son was then pulled out of class and questioned by school administration. Soon after,
the show says, the police were in Banda's front yard to search the house and take her child away.
Generally speaking, if you're rich, the state isn't inquiring into the ongoings of your household"
Krishna Andavolu
Weediquette host
Jennifer Winn, a former candidate for governor and advocate for medicinal marjuana, is interviewed in the episode by Andavolu. Winn said she was excited when Vice contacted her because the show would shed light
on the issue.
"When the people from Vice and 'Weediquette' contacted me, I was ecstatic because it means we're going to get a lot of exposure on what's happening," Winn said.
In addition to telling Klaer's and Banda's stories, the documentary also touches on the idea of privilege.
"Generally speaking, if you're rich, the state isn't inquiring into the ongoing of your household," Andavolu said. "If you're poor, it's more likely you'll come in contact with social services, come in contact with the police, more likely you'll come in contact with situations where your marijuana use might be deemed inappropriate. Equal protection under the law is a concept that this country has at it's core, however, in practice
that's not the case."
Both Klaer and Banda are single parents in low-income households. Winn said she believes low-income people are being preyed upon by governmental agencies.
"You will not find the elite in juvenile court fighting for their kids, ever," Winn said. "Because there is a privilege and it's a monetary privilege [...] They are absolutely vulnerable to our state and the government agencies that are taking children away from them."
The Kansas Department for Children and Families is at the center of this issue. The organization is in charge of deciding whether a residence is safe enough to house children.
"It's a punitive measure, not a helpful measure," Andavolu said. "Not a governmental organization that is
offering services, but offering punishment."
Andavolu reached out to DCF for an interview but was declined. However, it sent an official response that said "DCF does not recommend the removal of children from their homes solely based on marijuana use." However, Andavolu managed to speak with a former DCF employee who said parents who are suspected of smoking marijuana should "get the hell away from Kansas."
"I was surprised," Andavolu said. "Very surprised. We went in there with a skepticism. 'Is there really a money motive? Is there really a rotating door of children going in and out of foster homes?' When we were able to get in touch with the former DCF employee we didn't necessarily know what she was going to say. So, yeah, it surprised me that it was as stark as the activist said it was. It seemed like things were worse than I thought they were."
Andavolu said he thinks the problem of overabundance in foster homes due to such restrictive laws is nowhere close to being fixed.
"The government in power doesn't seem to think that this is a problem, that this is a good way of functioning," Andavolu said. "So, that's almost a more troubling circumstance, when there isn't even an assessment of the effects and unintended consequences of their beliefs."
"Weediquette" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Viceland.
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