My 3.8 gpa son moved back home from college while he builds his business. My wife's a public pre-K teacher. We found out he has marijuana in our home. He claims WE won't be in trouble if it's discovered since we don't smoke. What happens if it's found?

  Back in the 1980s, at the height of the “War on Drugs” there were some highly controversial laws and policies enacted that allowed certain government agencies to take ownership any property on which illegal drugs were found.  If drugs were found in your car (even if you didn't know they were there) they could take your car.  If drugs were found in your yard or your house, they could take that property.

  I do not know what the current status is of these laws, but if they are still in effect, then theoretically, you could lose your house if your son is found to have marijuana on the property.

  Your wife's profession as a public school teacher is particularly vulnerable as well.  Her career could be seriously endangered if it became known that she knew about and tolerated the presence of illegal drugs in her home.
 
 
  I think there are two very important points to be made here.

  First of all, I think your son is entirely wrong in claiming that his possession of illegal drugs on your property does not put you and your wife at severe legal risk.

  Second, as others have pointed out, it's “your house, your rules”.  If you do not want illegal drugs to be present on your property, then you have every right to insist that no illegal drugs be brought on to your property.  If your son is unwilling to live with that, then he should find somewhere else to live.

G'day MatrixX5252,

Thank you for your question.

If it is in his room and for his personal use, he would be charged with possession which is often classed as a misdemeanour. If he is selling it to others, he would be charged with trafficking which is a higher level offence.

If there was evidence that yourself or your wife had been helping him, then you might be charged as well. You might want to speak with a lawyer about drug laws in your area.

You should have a talk with your son about the rules about your house. If he wants to smoke pot and you do not want him to, it's your house, your rules.

Regards

It's in YOUR house, isn't it?

if he is in your house, he abides by YOUR rules. If he cannot, he is out on his ear.You do not risk your reputation and livelihood for his stupidity and selfishness.

I believe there is also a difference on what happens if he has 1 ounce or if he has a pound/kilo of it! One can mean for personal use, the other larger amount can mean dealing or for dealing-selling purposes which is a much more serious offense.

I'd be for asking him to not have it in your house, but it's your choice. You could always ask your attorney. He is obliged to keep it confidential.

Your son is an inconciderate jerk. He needs to flush the weed and respect your home. I can't believe that a 3.8 GPA student can be so dumb!

As long as he isn't using your house to sell your fine. Possession in most states isn't that bad. Heres a state by state guideline map.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4516

Hopefully you live in a decriminalized state! I do

Don't worry about it. Throw him out and don't let him back in ever. Don't die for his sins.

the laws vary depending on location. if you honestly didn't know about it at all, i think you would have been in a better situation than you are now.

Even IF you don't get in trouble, there is a good chance that your reputations will be damaged (if not ruined). It's your house, if you don't want it there I would tell him to either get rid of it or leave.

I have read the answers that others have posted and I agree with them. It doesn't matter what his gpa is, he is living in your HOME, under your roof. The fact that he doesn't appear to have apologised and is not concerned in regards to it being found and how it is going to affect you screams out a lack of respect towards you and your wife (his mother?). Harsh as it sounds, he is an adult. Cut him loose. Get rid of the weed and his presence in your home.

Well, it's your house and your rules and if you want to kick him out over this you can. I don't know about you, but I couldn't and I've been there. Most kids who get into cannabis don't move on to worse things. Unfortunately some do. This isn't an issue of legality or morality. It's one of love, support and caring. Try your best to get your son to research the problems of cannabis use by using the net. There are issues, such as cannabis psychosis and the danger of moving onto harder drugs, but most kids just try cannabis and then move on to live a worthwhile life. Try not to worry, but keep an eye on things.

Well, depending on what state you live in the consequences for being caught with a small amount of marijuana range from a 6month driving privilege revocation, to absolutely nothing. 13 states in the US have decriminalized the possession of a small amount of marijuana (an ounce or less). Don't worry. As long as he isn't involved in any serious criminal activity (and you aren't either) then the police have no reason to show up at your door, anyway. Even if they did, he could take full responsibility for the drugs and that would be the end of it.

if u are ok with letting him take his chances with it, and he is willing to take full responsibility for what happens to him if he is caught, and you are willing let him take full responsibility, which could mean fines and imprisonment, then by all means... if you deny all knowledge of the marijuana, then the fault is on him. As a college student, I'm assuming he's over 18, so even though it was found in your house, you may be left completely out of it. But a few things you may want to consider are is he financially stable enough to cover any fines that may arouse, or is that going to fall on you? Also, would you feel bad about letting your son destroy his life after he got caught? there's no telling if he'll get caught or not, but you could at least take precautions. I would try to lead him in a different direction, as marijuana use could affect his plans to start a business. First of all, he would definitely have to be tested for drug use at some point in the process, and if he were caught then he may not be able to go through with it. also, if he's involved in any type of sale or distribution of drugs, he could be in much deeper trouble.