Pubdate: Thu, 05 Apr 2012 Source: Chico News & Review, The (CA) Copyright: 2012 Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact: http://www.newsreview.com/chico/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/559 Author: Ashley Hardin WHY RISK IT? Re "Fighting for their families" (Cover story, by Meredith J. Graham, March 22): Yes, it is a tragedy that a mother was separated from her young children. As a mother of two young girls, I know how precious every minute is at that age. And yes, she was probably not putting her kids in danger, but her lifestyle and decisions to grow medical marijuana were. Two years ago I was put in a similar situation where my partner decided to get into the "growing" business. When I heard that children were being taken away from their parents because of growing, I chose to not be involved. The possible risk of losing my daughter and unborn child was not a risk I was willing to take. I feel in this situation the CPS did exactly what they were supposed to do: protect the children. Parents need to know the risks before deciding to engage in growing marijuana. If people are selfish enough to take those risks when kids are involved, then they need to deal with the consequences. Ashley Hardin Chico - --- MAP posted-by: Matt