This is the final post in my series on how marijuana can affect child custody and visitation. In this post I will wrap up my discussion with an overview of topics that have been covered as well as provide final thoughts for parents who are dealing with a child using drugs.

In this series I have covered a number of topics. We have discussed:

• When a child’s marijuana usage justifies an emergency change in custody or visitation
• When calling a lawyer is an appropriate step for a parent
• What happens at an emergency court hearing
• What noncustodial parents can do if their child is using drugs during a visitation

Throughout our series, we have discussed when it is appropriate for two parents to introduce their child’s marijuana use into family court. In the vast majority of cases, if a child is using drugs then the focus should be on what services a child requires and not on which parent has custody. If one parent believes that a child is using marijuana due to some negligence on the other parents part then that evidence will have to be clearly proven during a family court hearing. Examples of evidence may be that a child is smoking marijuana that belongs to a parent, the child is using drugs in the home due to a lack of supervision, or if a parent has knowledge that their child is using marijuana and allows the behavior. However, the family courts will have little tolerance for parents who use their child’s substance abuse as an excuse to bicker rather than taking the appropriate action needed to address the problem.

During this series, I have discussed when it is and is not appropriate to call an attorney and request a change in custody. If your child is using marijuana while under the care of the other parent, and you are concerned contact our child custody lawyers today.