>>> THE HOUTHI'S GOAL IS TO TAKE OVER THE CITY.
>> THEN WHAT'S GOING ON?
>> THE YEMENI GOVERNMENT FORCES ARE ON THE DEFENSE.
AND IT IS CHILDREN WHO ARE THE MOST IMPACTED.
DOZENS OF KIDS HAVE DIED. DO YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THAT?
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT GOOD PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THEIR
KIDS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM. IS THAT RIGHT?
>> NO.
>> THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES PROBABLY RIMMED APART BASED ON
NOTHING OTHER THAN A POSITIVE TEST FOR MARIJUANA.
>> WHY ARE THEY EVEN TESTING THEM?
>> BECAUSE NOW IT'S LEGAL.
>> DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN GET HER BACK?
>> THAT'S A HARD QUESTION.
WE WANT JUSTICE!
>> WE ARE JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY IN THIS INSANELY MOUNTAINOUS
TERRAIN WHICH IS WHERE FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS, THERE'S BEEN
SOME PRETTY INTENSE FIGHTING OVER THE CITY BETWEEN HOUTHI
FORCES AND THE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED GOVERNMENT, THE
TROOPS THAT WE'RE WITH AT THE MOMENT.
THESE YEMENI GOVERNMENT FORCES ARE FIGHTING THE REBEL HOUTHI.
IT IS A GRUELING BATTLE THAT HAS BEEN DRAGGING ON FOR SIX LONG
YEARS.
>> DID I HIT THE TARGET?
>> THE BRIGADIER GENERAL HAS BEEN THERE SINCE 2017.
WITH THE REBELS LAUNCHING A FRESH OFFENSIVE ON THE
STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT CITY, HE'S ON THE DEFENSE.
SO HOW FAR AWAY ARE THE HOUTHIS?
>> WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS AREA BEFORE THEY FIRE BACK AT
US.
>> AS WE WERE LEAVING THE HOUTHIS HIT BACK.
THEY LANDED ABOUT 20 METERS AWAY FROM US.
THAT'S EXTREMELY CLOSE. THESE FORCES ARE BACKED BY THE
SAUDIS WHILE THE REBEL HOUTHIS ARE SUPPORTED BY IRAN.
IT IS A PROXY BATTLE BETWEEN THE REGION'S TWO BIGGEST PLAYERS.
THE HOUTHIS SEIZED POWER IN 2014.
SINCE THEN THEY'VE TAKEN NORTH. THE COALITION HAS BEEN PUSHING
BACK WITH AN AGGRESSIVE AIR CAMPAIGN.
WHEN JOE BIDEN TOOK U.S. PRESIDENCY, HE PLEDGED TO END
YEMEN'S WAR.
>> WE'RE ENDING ALL MID-TERM SUPPORT FOR OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS
IN THE WAR IN YEMEN.
>> IT'S NOT THAT EASY. WHILE THE U.S. ARE ATTEMPTING TO
BROKER A CEASE FIRE, THE HOUTHIS HAVE NEVER BEEN STRONGER.
AT THE MAIN HOSPITAL, CASUALTIES STREAMED IN.
>> THEY ARE COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED WITH EXTREMELY
CRITICAL INJURIES. DEEP SHELLING TODAY.
THEY'VE TAKEN A REALLY BAD HIT. YOU MUST BE EXHAUSTED.
IT'S PURE CHAOS IN HERE.
>> HOW MUH WORSE HAVE THINGS GOT THE ATTACK ON THE CITY?
IT'S CIVILIANS TAKING BIGGEST HIT WITH THE BATTLE RAGING, TWO
THIRDS OF THE POPULATION HAVE HUMANITARIAN NEED.
OVER 130,000 HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE THE WAR BEGAN.
A QUARTER OF THEM ARE CHILDREN. JUST IN THE LAST MONTH, OVER
10,000 YEMENIS HAVE PICKED UP THEIR LIVES AND SCATTERED TO ANY
MAKESHIFT CAMPS THEY CAN FIND. HOW CLOSE WAS THE FIGHTING?
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU HEARD ALL THESE ROCKETS AND MORTARS
AND THE ARTILLERY LANDING AROUND YOU?
THE HOUTHIS HAVE SAID THEIR GOAL IS TO TAKE OVER THE WHOLE OF THE
CITY.
THE STATE OF FEAR HAS SET IN ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
IN THE SOUTH, HOUTHIS SURROUND THE CITY AND HAVE INCREASED
THEIR ATTACK ON CIVILIANS. AND IT IS CHILDREN WHO ARE THE
MOST IMPACTED. THREE MONTHS AGO, SHE LOST HER
9-YEAR-OLD SON AND HER HUSBAND WHEN A STADIUM FULL OF CHILDREN
PLAYING SOCCER WAS BOMBED. THESE ARE THE ONES HE WAS
WEARING THAT DAY.
HE'S A GOOD SOCCER PLAYER. WHAT KIND OF PERSON WAS HE?
>> NO MOTHER SHOULD HAVE TO LOSE HER CHILD.
BUT TO LOSE HER HUSBAND ON THE SAME DAY, I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW
DIFFICULT THING HAVE BEEN.
>> HER SON SHOWED AS YOU SIGN WHERE THE BOY AND HIS FATHER
DIED WITHIN MINUTES OF EACH OTHER.
>> OH, WOW. IT LANDED RIGHT HERE?
IT'S ONLY BEEN THREE MONTHS. HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING BACK
HERE?
WE MET HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS WHO WITNESSED THE SHELLING.
YOU WERE HERE THE DAY THAT THERE WAS AN ATTACK HERE?
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER? IT MUST HAVE BEEN SO SCARY.
BOTH SIDES OF THE CONFLICT HAVE ISSUED STATEMENTS DEPP
ISSUED STATEMENTS DENYING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACK.
WE PARTNERED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED.
FIRST WE MATCHED PROJECTILE REMNANTS LEFT AT THE SITE WITH A
PARTICULAR TYPE OF ARTILLERY SHELL.
A RUSSIAN MADE PROJECTILE KNOWN TO BE USED BY THE HOUTHIS.
FROM LOOKING THROUGH ARCHIVE VIDEO, WE CAN SEE HOW IT BLASTED
THROUGH IRON GATES, THAT IT HIT THE BUILDING AT A 45 TO
60-DEGREE ANGLE. GIVEN THE FOUR TO SIX KILOMETER
RANGE OF THE ARTILLERY, AND THE FACT IT BLASTED THE SITE AT THIS
ANGLE WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING IN ITS PATH, IT SEEMS EXTREMELY
LIKELY THE ARTILLERY SHELL CAME FROM ONE AREA.
THIS ELEVATED HILL IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF TAOS
CONTROLLED BY THE HOUTHIS, THIS UNDERMINES IT.
THE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES WHOSE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN KILLED,
MAIMED OR TAKEN INTO WAR, WHAT THEY CLAIM IS ACCOUNTABILITY.
THEY HAVE TO GET PERMISSION FOR THE TERRITORY AND IT IS REALLY
DIFFICULT TO GET HERE BECAUSE OF HOW INCREDIBLY DIVIDED THE
COUNTRY IS. WE'VE LITERALLY BEEN THROUGH
HUMS HUNDREDS OF CHECK POINT TO GET
TO WHERE WE ARE. WE ARE FINALLY CROSSING OVER,
AND WE'RE REALLY EAGER TO JUST GET SOME ANSWERS.
WE WERE GRANTED A RARE INTERVIEW WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE
NORTHERN HOUTHI HELD TERRITORY. HE SEEMED MOST CONCERNED ABOUT
HIS OWN PROTECTION. THIS IS YOURS?
>> THIS IS MINE.
>> DO ALL OF THEM HAVE WEAPONS? JUST YOU.
THE BATTLE FOR MARIB HAS WRAPPED UP OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
CAN YOU TELL US HOW IT'S LOOKING IF YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
>> WE FIGHT WITH A REASON TO KICK OUT ANY FOREIGN FORCES FROM
OUR LANDS, AND REALLY DEFEAT THOSE WHO ARE LOYAL TO THE
SUDDEN YOUI SUDDEN YOU, THE SAUDIS.
WE WILL SUCCEED.
>> YOU SAY YOU CARE DEEPBLY THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION.
BUT THE CLOSER YOUR FORCES PUSH TO MARIB CITY, THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS ARE GETTING DISPLACED WHY.
IS IT THAT YOU ARE PUSHING AND PUSHING?
>> ANY WAR, ANY WAR, HAS ITS COST.
THE COST SOMETIMES IN TERMS OF HUMAN BEINGS.
>> SO YOU'RE SAYING THEY ARE COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN THIS WAR?
>> TO SOME EXTENT, YES. IT HAPPENS IN ALL WARS.
WE CARE ABOUT OUR CITIZENS. WE DON'T WANT THEM TO DIE.
THEY'RE OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WEST ASK THEM TO GET AWAY.
WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO AVOID THEM.
IN THE END IF SOMETHING HAS TO HAPPEN, EVERYTHING HAS ITS COST.
>> IN THE CITY, THERE ARE DOZENS OF KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED
AND DIED. DO YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THAT?
>> THERE IS NO ONE ON THE FIELD WHO CAN VERIFY THIS.
THEY TAKE RUMORS.
>> SO IF IT CAN BE VERIFIED?
>> SOMEONE SHOULD BE PUN ISHED FOR IT.
>> THREE MONTHS AGO A SPORTS STADIUM WAS HIT, BOMBED.
A MAN AND HIS 9-YEAR-OLD SON WERE KILLED.
IT SEEMS EXTREMELY LIKELY THAT THIS WAS FROM YOUR FORCES.
>> THE SATELLITE OF THE PLACES WHERE THEY KILLED OUR PEOPLE
HERE.
>> IT DOESN'T EXCUSE ONE SIDE FROM THE OTHER.
I DON'T DENY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN TREMENDOUS AIR STRIKES.
>> I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY. EVERY DROP OF BLOOD OF A YEMENI
KID OR A YEMENY WOMAN IS VERY PRECIOUS TO US.
IF SOMEONE COULD PROVE IT WAS OUR PEOPLE, WE WOULD TAKE ACTION
AGAINST THEM.
>> WE SENT HIM OUR EXACT FINDINGS OUR INFORMATION.
HE DID NOT RESPOND. THE HOUTHIS ARE NOT ONLY
REFUSING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE LIVES OF CHILDREN BUT
THEY'VE ALSO RECRUITED THOUSANDS TO THE FRONT LINES.
OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS, TENS OF THOUSANDS HAVE CHILDREN HAVE
DIED FIGHTING TO ADVANCE THE HOUTHIS' MILITARY GOAL.
SO WE'RE JUST OUTSIDE A REHAB CENTER FOR KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN
IMPACTED BY WAR. THE MAJORITY OF CHILDREN INSIDE
HAVE SPENT TIME FIGHTING WITH THE HOUTHIS AS CHILD SOLDIERS.
AND THEY'VE MANAGED TO ESCAPE TO HOPEFULLY TRY AND RECOVER.
>> DID YOU GO THROUGH MILITARY TRAINING?
WHY WAS IT THEY TOLD YOU IT WAS NECESSARY TO FIGHT?
WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE HOUTHIS?
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
>> WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ABOUT IT?IS.
>> WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ABOUT IT?
>> WHAT WAS THE O
>> WHAT WAS THE T
>> WHAT WAS THE D
>> WHAT WAS THE F
>> WHAT WAS THE I
>> WHAT WAS THE U
>> WHAT WAS THE T
>> WHAT WAS THE THING ABOUT IT?
THESE KIDS HAVE SEEN UNIMAGINABLE HORRORS.
THEY WILL SOON BE LEAVING THE TRANQUILITY OF THE CENTRAL AND
HEADING BACK TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD WHERE BATTLES RAGE ON AND
CHILDREN ARE THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
DO YOU THINK THAT YOU WILL GO BACK AGAIN?
>> IT IS NICE TO THINK THIS WILL ALL BE POT SOMETIME.
>> CHAD IS HOPING TO GROW ONE OF THE FIRST LEGAL MARIJUANA GROWS
IN MISSISSIPPI.
>> THIS WILL BE THE FLOWER. WE'LL HAVE OUR EXTRACTION LABS
AND THINGS OVER HERE. SO THIS IS A BIG ENDEAVOUR.
THIS IS A REALLY GOOD START FOR MISSISSIPPI.
>> MISSISSIPPI MIGHT BE THE LAST PLACE YOU WOULD THINK TO
LEGALIZE POT BUT VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTED A
BALLOT MEASURE IN 2020. AND LATER THIS YEAR, MEDICAL
MARIJUANA WILL BE FOR SALE IN A STATE THAT ONLY JUST REMOVED THE
CONFEDERATE CROSS FROM THEIR STATE FLAG.
>> COME ON, BABIES!
>> YOU WANT TO GET AN EGG?
>> YES.
>> WHILE MAKING MAN'S TO GROW POT, CHAD AND HIS BUSINESS
PARTNER ALSO HAPPY TO BE FAMILY DEFENSE LAWYERS.
HOW DID THIS DECISION COME ABOUT?
IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE PUBLIC DEFENDERS.
SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS, I GUESS, AND NOW YOU'RE POT
CAPITALISTS?
>> WASN'T A HUGE JUMP THOUGH. WHEN YOU SPEND.
SO OF YOUR TIME TRYING ON EDUCATE JUDGES AND YOUTH COURT
PERSON PERSONNEL ON MARIJUANA, IT WAS A
NATURAL SHIFT.
>> I IMAGINE WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM, IT IS
NOT A PARTICULARLY GOOD TIME IN THEIR LIVES.
>> YOU'RE RIGHT. TYPICALLY PEOPLE ARE IN CRISIS.
THEY'RE THE MOST VULNERABLE THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN THEIR
ENTIRE LIVES. AND THEY'RE AT RISK OF LOSING
THEIR CHILDREN.
>> I THINK PEOPLE MIGHT THINK IF YOU'RE AT A POINT WHERE CPS IS
COMING TO YOUR HOUSE, YOU MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG TO
HAVE THAT KIND OF INTERVENTION. LIKE GOOD PEOPLE DON'T HAVE
THEIR KIDS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM. IS THAT RIGHT?
>> NO. THAT'S A HUGE MISCONCEPTION.
>> WE FOUND THE MAJORITY OF XASS COME IN ARE NEGLECT.
THEY'RE NOT THE EGREGIOUS PHYSICAL ABUSE CASES, SEXUAL
ABUSE CASES. THEY'RE FOR THINGS ARE USUALLY
POVERTY RELATED.
>> THE NEGLECT STATUTE IN MISSISSIPPI IS VERY BROAD.
IT INCLUDES VERY SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS LIKE WHEN A CHILD IS
MALNOURISHED OR LEFT ALONE FOR DAYS BUT IT CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS
HAVING YOUR WATER SHUT OFF OR NOT HAVING WARM COATS OR THE
YOUR KIDS. DRUG USE ALSO FALLS UNDER
NEGLECT. FOR YEARS, CPS OR CHILD
PROTECTIVE SERVICES WOULD SEPARATE FAMILIES IF THE PARENTS
SIMPLY TESTED POSITIVE FOR POT.
>> IT IS BASED ON NOTHING OTHER THAN A POSITIVE TEST FOR
MARIJUANA. I HAVE LOTS OF REALLY GREAT
FRIENDS THAT ARE INCREDIBLE PARENT THAT ALSO USE MARIJUANA.
AND BUT FOR THEM BEING WHITE OR HAVING SOME MONEY, THEY WOULDN'T
HAVE THEIR KIDS AND THEY WOULD BE IN THE YOUTH COURT SYSTEM.
>> YOUTH COURT FUNCTIONS DIFFERENTLY THAN CRIMINAL COURT.
PARENTS AREN'T AUTOMATICALLY GIVEN A LAWYER AND CHARGES DON'T
NEED TO BE PROVEN BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.
EVEN THOUGH THESE ARE AREN'T ALWAYS GROUNDS FOR ARRESTION
PARENTS ARE FACING EXTREME PUNISHMENT, HAVING THEIR
CHILDREN REMOVED FROM THEIR CASE.
>> I'M ON MY WAY TO MEET ONE OF CHAD'S CLIENTS.
SHE HAD HER FIVE CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY BY CPS BECAUSE SHE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR POT.
>> COME ON IN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SARAH LOST HER KIDS FOR NEARLY FOUR YEARS AFTER A DRUG
TEST IN YOUTH COURT CAME BACK POSITIVE.
>> I GOT THIS TATTOO BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE MY KIDS.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT, IT'S MY KIDS, MY HEART.
I'M CLOSE TO MY KIDS.
>> TELL ME WHAT IT WAS LIKE THAT DAY THEY WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM
YOU.
>> THAT'S AN EMOTION YOU DON'T RECKON WITH WHEN IT COMES TO A
MOM AND HER BABIES. MY HEART DROPPED.
I JUST WENT INTO COMPLETE CONFUSION.
I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. I BROKE DOWN.
>> SARAH CALLED ME. AND SHE WAS TELLING ME, IT'S
BEEN ALMOST FOUR YEARS AND I DON'T HAVE MY KIDS BACK.
AND IT'S BECAUSE I WENT TO COURT AND I TESTED POSITIVE FOR
MARIJUANA. I'VE BEEN FIGHTING WITH THE
AGENCY FOR FOUR YEARS. OF COURSE, I WAS SKEPTICAL.
I THOUGHT, THAT IS CRAZY IF THAT'S TRUE.
SHE WAS RIGHT. 100% RIGHT.
SHE HAD COME TO COURT FOR AN ABUSE ALLEGATION THAT WAS
DISMISSED DISMIS
DISMISSED. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT
ACTUALLY HAPPENED. WHILE SHE WAS THERE SHE DRUG
TESTED AND SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR MARIJUANA.
>> JUST MARIJUANA?
>> MARIJUANA. AND THEY REMOVED ALL FIVE OF HER
CHILDREN.
>> IN 2017 CHAD AND KELLY HELPED WRITE A LAW TAKING AWAY REMOVAL
BASED SOLELY ON MARIJUANA USEFUL IN 2018 HE WAS ABLE TO HELP HER
GET HER KIDS BACK BUST EVER SINCE SHE'S STRUGGLED TO KEEP
THEM OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
>> IMAGINE GROWING A CHILD INSIDE OF YOUR BODY, WORKING
YOUR BUTT OFF AS A WAITRESS THE ENTIRE PREGNANCY.
THEY'RE MY BABIES, YOU KNOW? I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE THOSE
MEMORIES. NOT SOMEBODY ELSE.
>> JUST BECAUSE OF POT.
>> YEAH.
>> IT'S CRAZY BECAUSE NOW IT'S LEGAL.
ALL THAT FOR NOTHING. ALL OF THAT FOR NOTHING?
>> CASES LIKE SARAH'S AREN'T JUST HAPPENING WHERE POT IS
STILL CRIMINAL. IN ILLINOIS, RECREATIONAL WEED
BECAME LEGAL OVER A YEAR AGO AND PARENTS STILL RISK LOSING THEIR
KIDS BECAUSE OF THE DRUG.
>> I CAN'T EVEN TELL WHAT'S IN THESE BOXES.
SUCH SLICK PACKAGING. THIS IS WEED, I THINK.
>> DO YOU HAVE A HYBRID?
>> QUITE THE OPERATION YOU HAVE HERE.
>> THIS IS GOOD. BUSINESS IS GOOD.
>> YEAH. PEOPLE ARE EXCITED ABOUT POT IN
ILLINOIS.
>> IT'S A VERY REGULATED MARKET AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW.
HIGHLY REGULAR HATED AND THERE ARE SOME RULES.
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BUY CANNABIS, IN MY OPINION.
>> JUST 20 MILES SOUTH. DISPENSARY, SAVANNAH RECENTLY
BOUGHT A HOME HOPING SOON HER THREE CHILDREN WILL BE RETURNED.
>> THIS IS LIKE THE CUTEST HOUSE I'VE EVER SEEN.
>> SHE INITIALLY LOST HER KIDS FOR A NONCRIMINAL NEGLECT
ALLEGATION AND WAS ON TRACK ON GET THEM BACK AFTER SEVEN MONTHS
HAD SHE NOT TESTED POSITIVE FOR MARIJUANA.
HER KIDS HAVE NOW BEEN GONE FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS.
>> IS IT LONELY?
>> IT WAS MORE EMOTIONALLY DRAINING TRYING TO GET THROUGH
THAT AND TRYING TO KEEP A HAPPY FACE AND MAKE IT THROUGH.
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN KEEP A HAPPY FACE?
>> IF YOU SHOW ANY SIGN THAT YOU ARE SLIPPING, THEY WILL MAKE IT
THAT MUCH HARDER TO GET YOUR KIDS HOME BUST ANY PARENT WHO
LOSES THEIR KIDS AFTER BEING A MOTHER FOR SEVEN YEARS WILL BE A
LITTLE EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE AND THEY DON'T ALLOW YOU ROOM TO BE
HUMAN AND MAKE ERRORS SO IT IS REALLY FRUSTRATING.
>> MORE THAN 80 LEGAL DISPENSARIES HAVE OPENED IN
ILLINOIS IN THE LAST YEAR. AND HER ATTORNEY SAID CASES LIKE
HERS ARE ON THE RISE.
>> WHEN DID IT RING TO YOU, WAIT, THIS ISN'T JUST AN
ISOLATED INCIDENT. THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM.
>> IT KEPT GETTING WORSE. I WOULD SAY OUT OF THE 70 OR 80
JUVENILE COURT CASES I HAD, CANNABIS WAS AT LEAST SOME
FACTOR IN PROBABLY 50, 60% OF MY CASES.
SO WE STARTED READING THE LAW PASSED IN ILLINOIS.
JANUARY 1st, IT BECAME EFFECTIVE, 2020.
THAT STATUTE COULD NOT BE CLEARER.
YOU MAY NOT CONSIDER CANNABIS USE, POSSESSION, WHATSOEVER IN A
DCFS CASE.
>> WHY ARE KIDS BEING TAKEN AWAY IF THE PARENT TEST POSITIVE FOR
POT? WHY ARE THEY EVEN TESTING THEM
IN.
>> I THINK IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REVERSE 50 OR 60 YEARS OF
CULTURAL NORMS FOR PEOPLE. THERE IS A DEEPER CULTURAL
PERCEPTION THAT IT IS JUST INHERENTLY WRONG.
YOU ARE A LESSER PERSON. YOU'RE NOT AS GOOD A PARENT.
>> IS THIS A FORGOTTEN FRONT IN THE WAR ON DRUGS?
>> I SUPPOSE. AFTER ALL, IT'S SEALED.
THE TRAN SCRIPTS ARE SEALED. THE COURT PROCEEDINGS ARE
SEALED. SO BECAUSE IT IS ALL HAPPENING
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND NO ONE SEES IT, I THINK THAT IT ALLOWS
A LOT TO TAKE PLACE IN THE SHADOWS.
>> YOUTH COURTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE HIGHLY SECRETIVE.
IT CAN EVEN BE HARD FOR PARENTS TO ACCESS THEIR OWN RECORDS
LEAVING THE MOST VULNERABLE PARENTS WITH VERY LITTLE
RECOURSE.
>> TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SITUATION WITH DCFS ABOUT YOUR CASE.
>> THE ONLY SAFETY CONCERN IN MY CASE IS CANNABIS USE.
NO OTHER CONCERN HAS EVER COME UP.
AND DO I EVERYTHING THEY WANT ME TO DO.
>> SHE'S ONE OF JAY'S CLIENTS. SHE GREW UP IN FOSTER CARE.
ALTHOUGH SHE'S 19, SHE'S TECHNICALLY STILL IN THE SYSTEM.
ACCORDING TO A STUDY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, PARENTS
WHO HAVE CHILDREN WHILE THEY ARE STILL IN CARE THEMSELVES ARE
MORE THAN TWICE AS LIKELY TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN REMOVED.
HER BABY WAS TAKEN AWAY AT JUST 4 MONTHS OLD.
>> I WAS EMPLOYED. I WAS DOING EVERY SERVICE.
THEY BROUGHT UP THAT I HAD USED MARIJUANA.
I THOUGHT KIDS CAME INTO CARE FOR ABUSE AND NEGLECT AND I WAS
VERY CONFUSED.
>> DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN GET HER BACK?
>> THAT'S A HARD QUESTION. I FEEL LIKE DCFS BELIEVES THERE
SHOULD BE TWO-PARENT HOMES. AND I'M KIND OF A TARGET BECAUSE
I AM YOUNG AND BLACK AND A SINGLE MOTHER WITH NO FAMILY.
>> DO YOU FEEL PUNISHED?
>> DO I FEEL PUNISHED. I FEEL PUNISHED FOR HAVING A
BABY YOUNG. I FEEL PUNISHED FOR SMOKING
WEED.
>> MILLIONS OF LIVES HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT BECAUSE PEOPLE
ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA.
>> AS LEGALIZATION SWEEPS ACROSS THE U.S., EVERY PROGRESSIVE
POLITICIAN IS RACING TO DENOUNCE OVERPOLICING AND MASS
INCARCERATION.
>> THE WHOLE WAR ON DRUGS WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE.
WE HAVE CRIMINALIZED WHOLE POPULATIONS OF PEOPLE.
>> BUILT INTO NEARLY EVERY CANNABIS REGULATION ACROSS THE
COUNTRY IS A WAY TO ADDRESS THE DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE WAR ON
DRUGS. THERE IS MOVEMENT TO REMEDY
FAMILY SEPARATION, TOO. THE SILENCING EFFECT.
CONFIDENTIAL COURT SYSTEMS MAKES IT HARD TO MOVE THE NEEDLE.
>> THE BEST CASE SCENARIO, THE KIDS COME HOME THIS AFTERNOON.
WORST CASE SCENARIO, THEY EXTEND THE CASE OUT LONGER.
>> SHE STOPPED SMOKING CAB BUSINESS AFTER HER SUPERVISED
VISITS WERE TAKEN AWAY. SHE'S HAD SIX CLEAN SCREENS IN
THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS. TODAY SHE HAS A COURT HEARING TO
DETERMINE WHETHER SHE WILL GET HER KIDS BACK.
>> IT IS HARD TO GET EXCITED BEFORE COURT.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN. IF YOU GET EXCITED, YOU'LL BE
DISAPPOINTED IF IT IS NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT.
SO REALLY, I'M JUST ANXIOUS.
>> SAVANNAH REGAINED CUSTODY OF HER THREE KIDS ON A TRIAL BASIS
FOR THE NEXT 60 DAYS. ONE TINY MISSTEP AND HER KIDS
COULD GO BACK INTO THE SYSTEM.
>> MY STOP SACK, MY STOMACH IS DOING BACK FLIPS.
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL.
>> I CAN'T WAIT TO STAY HERE FOREVER.
>> I'M KIND OF TERRIFIED THAT THEY'LL COME BACK AND TAKE THEM
AGAIN.
>> POT IS NOW LEGAL IN ILLINOIS. DO YOU THINK YOU'LL EVER FEEL
LIKE IT IS LEGAL FOR YOU?
>> I DON'T THINK I'LL EVER FEEL SAFE OR COMFORTABLE SMOKING
MARIJUANA AGAIN. IT DOESN'T FEEL FAIR BUT AT THE
SAME
SAME TIME,
SAME TIME, I
SAME TIME, I WOULD
SAME TIME, I WOULD NEVER
SAME TIME, I WOULD NEVER WANT