{
  "id": 381932,
  "title": "How THC tests have landed new mothers onto child abuse registries",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/how-thc-tests-have-landed-new-mothers-onto-child-abuse-registries",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-09T14:08:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thc-tests-land-new-mothers-onto-child-abuse-registries/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nicole Hamann gave birth to her fourth child in January 2021, tested positive for trace amounts of THC, and was placed on Idaho's child abuse registry. She had accidentally consumed a pot-laced brownie in Oregon just before giving birth. Despite there being no evidence of drug use, her name remained on the registry for ten years, preventing her from working in hospitals, daycare centers, or volunteering at her children's school. At least a thousand other new mothers in Idaho have faced similar consequences for using marijuana products to relieve pain and severe nausea. Ashley McGrath, a 22-year-old pregnant woman, turned to marijuana gummies to alleviate her severe morning sickness. Like Hamann, McGrath had her name placed on the child abuse registry after being investigated and cleared by social workers. Both women argue that they've been unfairly treated and that their careers and lives have been negatively impacted by the registry. Attorney Rick Hearn, a medical doctor, has filed a federal class action suit against Idaho, claiming that these mothers have lost the ability to support their families without due process. Across the United States, around 300,000 newborns are exposed to cannabis prenatally every year, with mothers facing legal consequences depending on where they live.",
  "summary": "In Idaho, new mothers have ended up on a child abuse registry after testing positive for THC – a chemical found in marijuana. An investigation raises hard questions about who gets punished, and who doesn't.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/381932.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "How THC tests have landed new mothers onto child abuse registries",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/how-thc-tests-have-landed-new-mothers-onto-child-abuse-registries-381935",
        "published": "2026-08-09T13:55:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}