Arizona Mother Accused of Child Neglect for Medical Use of Marijuana During Pregnancy Wins Appeal

Last week, the Arizona Court of Appeals reversed a decision from the state’s Department of Child Safety (DCS) to place Lindsay R.—an Arizona woman whom the state branded a child abuser because she used medical marijuana while she was pregnant—on its child abuse and neglect registry for 25 years.

The criminalization of pregnant women using marijuana is part of a broader trend, according to National Advocates for Pregnant Women, which has documented more than 1,000 arrests for drug use during pregnancy.