WILKES-BARRE — Chanting protesters outside the Luzerne County Children and Youth Services office on Monday claimed the agency is "stealing" children from parents who participate in the state medical marijuana program.

"They are displacing kids," said protest organizer Sabrina Smith. "They are not taking the necessary steps to investigate."

Drivers on North Pennsylvania Avenue slowed down near the protest and honked in response to signs help up by the protesters, who numbered about 15 as of 11 a.m.

Nichole Allen, one of the protesters, said Children and Youth caseworkers abuse their authority and take children from parents who are doing their best to provide a stable home. The agency has had "all types of discrepancies," she said.

Smith agreed, but said the situation has gotten worse since medical marijuana was legalized in Pennsylvania three years ago.

Caseworkers are using parents' medical marijuana use as an excuse to remove children from homes for no good reason, Smith said.

Also, medical professionals are reporting mothers and pregnant women who use medical marijuana to Children and Youth officials without justification, she said.

The agency is "stealing babies from hospitals," Smith said.

Smith said the stigma surrounding medical marijuana impacted her and her family. Children and Youth officials once asked her to take custody of her four grandchildren, who were in the agency's care, she said.

After caseworkers found out Smith takes part in the state's medical marijuana program for treatment of multiple ailments, she was no longer welcome to take custody of the children, she said.

In response to the protest, Children and Youth Services director Joanne Van Saun issued a statement distributed by county Manager David Pedri.

"The introduction of legal medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is in its early stages and with this comes issues of legality that have yet to be addressed by state and local governments," Van Saun said in the statement.

County Children and Youth Services agencies throughout the state are awaiting guidance from state officials regarding medical marijuana, she said.

In the meantime, the agency is mandated to ensure the safety and well-being of all children and is required to conduct "comprehensive family assessments" when it receives reports, she said.

Smith has founded a support group called Crowd Pow Wow. Its website is: https://powwowproud.com/index.html.

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emark@citizensvoice.com

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