In-home daycare shut down after man found with 13 bags of cannabis

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A daycare inside a Des Moines, Iowa residence has been shut down after a man was found in possession of cannabis.

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The man was charged in late April with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, KCCI reports, citing information from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

According to KCCI, court documents indicate police officers found the drugs, namely 13 bags of cannabis, inside the residence on Apr. 22. Also on site was empty packaging and a digital scale.

Upon making that discovery, FinnoExpert reports that investigators began thinking those involved may not have planned to deliver the cannabis.

Noting it spoke to the daycare operator, KCCI reports that the accused is her brother, the drugs were not hers and she was just as surprised as anyone when the cannabis was revealed.

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Medical marijuana is legal in Iowa for patients with qualifying conditions such as cancer with symptoms of severe or chronic pain, nausea or severe wasting, seizures, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis with severe and persistent muscle spasms and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Adult-use cannabis remains illegal, although attempts to legalize marijuana for  use, possession and retail sale of marijuana for adults have been tried in the state, notes the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

A proposed law from last year would have allowed adults aged 21 and older to legally possess and purchase up to 30 grams of cannabis for person use through a licensed pot shop. That attempt has apparently failed, as did another recent bid to have voters decide the issue.

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As it stands, however, a person caught with any amount of cannabis is subject to a misdemeanour charge punishable by six months in jail and a fine of about $1,280. Being found guilty of a second or third offence ups both the jail time and monetary penalties.

In April, a report of toddlers at a Virginia daycare potentially being exposed to cannabis ended with three felony counts being laid against the business owner. An investigation by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office in early March revealed that three one-year-old children in the woman’s care tested positive for THC, a psychoactive compound found in cannabis.

Last year in Korea, the Korean Coast Guard detained five people after a baker’s dozen of weed plants were found in the hallway, backyard and rooftop of a daycare centre.

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