It might not happen often, but a woman’s baby can be
taken from her at birth by the state if she tests positive for marijuana use, authorities
said Wednesday.
A 19-year-old woman gave birth to a girl Sunday at University Hospital in Oklahoma
City, and the baby was taken into state custody the next day, according to a police
report.
Oklahoma City police did not release the mother’s name.
The woman was tested for illegal drugs, and traces of marijuana
were detected in the mother and the newborn.
"It happens, but it is rare," hospital spokesman Jake Lowrey said
Wednesday.
Doctors do not usually detect marijuana in a newborn’s blood
because the drug does not cross the placenta into the baby’s system as easily as
other illegal drugs such as heroin.
He said hospital staff members are required to report anyone they suspect of
drug use who goes to the hospital to have a baby.
At University Hospital, doctors perform drug tests on all
women younger than 20, women who have had no prenatal care, women who have a history of
drug abuse and prison inmates.
Tests screen for use of marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, barbiturates, opiates
and amphetamines.
The woman told police she had smoked marijuana for the first seven months of her
pregnancy. She said she may have had marijuana in her system from inhaling her
boyfriend’s secondhand smoke.
State Department of Human Services officials would not comment on the case.
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