Marijuana advocate Shona Banda sues Kansas after state took custody of son

Nearly a year after Shona Banda's 11-year-old son was questioned at school without parental consent, she is filing a lawsuit against the state and agencies involved. Shona's son mentioned in class that his mother used cannabis medically, which led officials to question her son and search their home. The lawsuit alleges Shona is being deprived of her right to treat her Crohn's disease, and now her son has been in the state's custody since March of 2015. The Kansas Department for Children and Families recommends children be removed when there is a serious safety issue, but not for the use of marijuana.

Banda’s lawsuit insists she educated her 11-year-old son about the substance and told him “it is a medication.” She never allowed that boy to use the drug, according to the lawsuit.

Banda, the author of a book recounting her use of concentrated cannabis oil to treat Crohn’s, which is an inflammatory bowel disease, faces marijuana-related charges in Finney County. The status of that case was not immediately available