While the U.S. has certainly made headway in the abolition of marijuana prohibition, we still remain years away from the federal government’s full cooperation in an unequivocal de-stigmatization of the plant. Unfortunately, there remains a plethora of individuals who chose to act irresponsibly when it comes to their cannabis use, which has, unfortunately, cast a shadow on an industry that has yet to be fully embraced. One such act occurred on Tuesday after a Pennsylvania man was arrested for his severe lack of judgment, disregard for the law and overall horrific parenting. Spoiler alert: this is a man arrested after enlisting his daughter to sell weed.
A Bad Look For The Cannabis Community
43-year-old Kevin Lee Mick of Smith Township, Pennsylvania, was arrested earlier in the week for using his 14-year-old daughter as a low-level drug mule of sorts. Mick was arrested and charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of children and corrupting minors, and one count each of possession with intent to deliver, possessing a controlled substance and possessing drug paraphernalia.
According to officials, Mick had given his daughter several bags of weed and sent her off to sell the product for at least $150. However, instead of selling the cannabis, the girl brought the product to the Burgettstown Community Park as an attempt to show off in front of some friends.
Per the criminal complaint, “the victims indicated the marijuana was green/brown in color and had a horrific smell similar to that of a skunk,” after the teen took the marijuana out of her backpack for bragging rights.
Afterward, five minors from ages 7 to 14 ate some of the plants.
When the police were called, officers found a bag of marijuana stashed between two rocks, where eyewitnesses say the girl decided to stash it. According to Matthew Santoni of Trib Live, police also recovered another book bag in Mick’s car that contained another bag of cannabis and paraphernalia.
The elder Mick was later arrested and held in the Washington County Prison, where he currently remains on $50,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 26.
Final Hit: Man Arrested After Enlisting His Daughter To Sell Weed
While the five children were, expectedly, unharmed by the ingestion of the plant, Mick’s actions remain an embarrassment to the cannabis community as a whole. Responsible toking is what will, or should, remove the Schedule I status from the harmless plant, but irresponsible instances of parenting like this one are what anti-cannabis activists will attempt to hold over prohibitionist’s head.
While this man’s actions certainly don’t speak for the cannabis community as a whole, the ordeal sheds a bad light on an industry clamoring for change.
With Pennsylvania just recently opened their first medical marijuana dispensary, the state has a long way to go to fully embrace recreational marijuana. The state is also toying with the idea of allowing smokeable cannabis, but it remains to be seen if or when that will come to fruition. Mick’s misdeeds definitely do not help.
