15-Month-Old Baby Swallows Cannabis Kept Within Her Reach, Mother Arrested

A 15-month-old baby in Spain had to be rushed to a hospital after she swallowed cannabis that was kept within her reach in her home.

The child's mother was taken into custody by the police after her baby was hospitalized with an "acute intoxication" of cannabis, Euro Weekly News. The police told the local media in Seville the baby was in need of "urgent hospital treatment."

The 31-year-old mother was charged for causing injury to her baby and for parental neglect because “she was breastfeeding the baby as a drug user.”

The incident came to light after the hospital staff informed the police about a potential drug case involving an infant. During questioning, the mother told the officers from the police’s Family and Women’s Attention Unit the baby was poisoned after she put plastic from the ground in her mouth while playing in the park.

The mother said at the time of the incident the baby was being cared for by one of her close friends, Euro Weekly News reported.

However, investigation later revealed the mother and her friend were both lying to the police. The authorities found the women were “habitual users of narcotic substances” and the baby was poisoned after swallowing cannabis “left within reach” at the family home.

Authorities said along with the crime of causing injury, the woman "has been charged with a crime of omission of the duties inherent to parental authority." The child's current condition remains unknown.

Last year, a 20-year-old woman was arrested when her 1-year-old child was hospitalized in critical condition after accidentally consuming the drug ice, which is a form of methamphetamine. The incident took place in Australia on Nov. 6, 2020. The mother was charged with endangering the life of a child by exposure after a month of investigation. The police said the baby boy had consumed a huge amount of methamphetamine at a unit in Surfers Paradise where he was with his mother. The boy then started to vomit and lost consciousness following which the mother, with the help of some people on the street, rushed him to the Gold Coast University Hospital in critical condition.