LEGALIZE IT –

Aug. 4, 2023 – Etowah County arrests and jails more moms for drug use during pregnancy than any other county in the state. Critics say the policy has gone too far, entrapping women who sued before they even knew they were expecting and one woman who wasn’t even pregnant. Daisy Daughtry, 32, spent almost a year in jail and rehab facilities while she awaited court action on a chemical endangerment charge that happened after she tested positive for marijuana. She lost custody of three of her kids because she couldn’t fight the case from jail, she said. Prosecutors in some Alabama counties pursue charges against women who test positive for marijuana during pregnancy or after birth.

One county in Alabama stands apart in this fight.

Etowah County in the northeast part of the state prosecutes more women for drug use during pregnancy than any other, jailing some pregnant women who used only marijuana.

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