4-Month-Old Oregon Baby Given Bag Of Marijuana To Chew On By Grandmom During Teething

Police in Oregon arrested a grandmother and another man who are accused of giving a teething baby a bag of marijuana to chew on and recording a video of it. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office began investigating on Tuesday after receiving information from people who were concerned about a video they saw posted on Snapchat.

Authorities said that the video was shared on social media by 18-year-old Ethan W. Burgess. In the video, a 4-month-old girl is seen sitting in Burgess' lap while playing and chewing on a large plastic bag containing marijuana while several adults watched, including the baby's grandmother, 37-year-old Raechel R. Gilland.

During preliminary investigation, deputies found that Gilland gave her granddaughter the bag of marijuana because the baby was teething and did not have anything else to chew on. Burgess recorded the scene and posted it to his social media where it was shared.

The sheriff's office charged both Gilland and Burgessfor endangering the welfare of a minor and recklessly endangering another. Child Protective Services assumed care of the baby and the girl's 2-month-old sibling.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office urged the public to keep cannabis and cannabis products away from children.

In March, three people including the grandmother of an infant were charged after the seven-month-old baby was hospitalized following a possible drug overdose. The incident took place in Auburn, California.

Police responded to Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital after receiving a report stating that a baby was hospitalized after being exposed to drugs. The responding officers were told that the grandmother of the child, identified as Christine Hillebrandt, brought the infant to the hospital after seeing "abnormal behavior." Following the search, the infant’s grandmother, mother and mother’s associate were taken into custody.

During a search, the officials found narcotics and drug paraphernalia on the Sacramento Street home.

Speaking about the incident, Auburn Police Detective McCollough said at the time, “This incident could have evolved into an unfathomable tragedy had it not been for the diligence of the attending nurses and physicians.”