Video shows toddler smoking pot from bong
CENTRALIA, Wash. -- Newly released cell phone video shows a 22-month-old Centralia boy briefly using a marijuana bong.
His mother, 24-year-old Rachelle Braaten, was arrested and faces charges of manufacture of marijuana and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.
The video shows the boy briefly sticking his face on the top of the lit bong. When police confronted Braaten with the video, she reportedly told detectives, "Well, it was like, you can't see in the camera, but the person taking it, and then there was like a group of people there. And I guess it was a joke and stupid mistake that wasn't really funny."
She said the toddler's demeanor didn't change and he just went on playing.
When asked how she felt, she replied, "horrible."
"Because he's two and he shouldn't have known about that," Braaten said. "He shouldn't have that in his body."
When the Centralia police's anti-crime team went to check on the boy's welfare, they found 40 marijuana plants. The boy's father, Braaten's fiance Tyler Lee, claimed he was a medicinal marijuana user. But he too was arrested, allegedly confessing he also sold the marijuana to a dispensary.
He said he wasn't there when the boy was hitting on the bong.
Child protective services took Braaten's boy and placed him protective care - along with her 5-year-old child - while she deals with the accusations against her.
Lee was jailed over the weekend but released Monday pending the filing of charges. Braaten remains in jail, held on $5,000 bail.
His mother, 24-year-old Rachelle Braaten, was arrested and faces charges of manufacture of marijuana and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.
The video shows the boy briefly sticking his face on the top of the lit bong. When police confronted Braaten with the video, she reportedly told detectives, "Well, it was like, you can't see in the camera, but the person taking it, and then there was like a group of people there. And I guess it was a joke and stupid mistake that wasn't really funny."
She said the toddler's demeanor didn't change and he just went on playing.
When asked how she felt, she replied, "horrible."
"Because he's two and he shouldn't have known about that," Braaten said. "He shouldn't have that in his body."
When the Centralia police's anti-crime team went to check on the boy's welfare, they found 40 marijuana plants. The boy's father, Braaten's fiance Tyler Lee, claimed he was a medicinal marijuana user. But he too was arrested, allegedly confessing he also sold the marijuana to a dispensary.
He said he wasn't there when the boy was hitting on the bong.
Child protective services took Braaten's boy and placed him protective care - along with her 5-year-old child - while she deals with the accusations against her.
Lee was jailed over the weekend but released Monday pending the filing of charges. Braaten remains in jail, held on $5,000 bail.
To reply on Amanda's comment...It's true that pot is not harmful, but if she is doing this to her child, what else is she doing? She shouldn't be punished but maybe parenting courses wouldn't hurt. We all make mistakes and we all learn from our mistakes. I am sure she has learned her lesson and she'll probably think twice before making a wrong, are bad decision.
@deltaStrikejj @minyanjr oy
I would like to make the statement, while the child should have not been exposed to the substance, He would have not been harmed by it  for it is not a harmful "drug".  The government deems it a drug for reason that are not what the claim. (but that's another argument).  I found it to have been a stupid action on her part, and it reflects poorly on those who are pro marijuana, but I do not condemn her or see her unfit just by this instance.  She was not harming her child, she was not neglecting him, she exposed him to something he does not need to be aware of until older. (just like cigarettes or alcohol) . But I feel she is being harshly judged to make a statement about marijuana being legalized.  ask your self this... does everyone over react if a parent lets a child under the age of 21 take a sip of drink to discourage drink because alcohol taste gross so the child will not want to drink again. Or over react if a parent encourages their young child to chain smoke a pack after being caught smoking to discourage ever smoking again... Please do not punish her for a laps in judgement, for her intentions were of no harm. And please research the truth about Marijuana Prohibition  It is not harmful and the reason the government keeps it illegal is for a more lucrative aspect not because the fear its a danger to us...Â
@Amanda N Smith  Are you Rachelle Braaten's sister? Hopefully you are not allowing the kids in your picture to also smoke anything.
This is really sad. People like this should not have kids. This is a perfect example of a waste of human flesh!!!
I can only imagine the comments on here if the mother was black.
@Tone lol your my brand of soap ....yes it has or worse but shes not black
@Tone Why don't you stop your race baiting. You're only saying what you are saying to create negative comments.
Washington state is an embarrassed to the entire world we cant even use our drivers license as legal ID because we give out drivers licenses to anyone that can lie. legal pot even for kids, so the proponents said this will never happen and it always does. Next we feed crack to our kids.
@Good Grief tell that to a cop , cuz times like these they choose to be come judge and jury.. when they should be arresting. i will vote for consumption before inhaling but to give any child any meds before the age of 7- 16 . better have proof its best.
@Good Grief What are you babbling about? Legal Pot for kids? Look there are morons everywhere...like the same parents that give their kids a cigarette to puff on because they think it's funny or give them alcohol for similar reasons or even promote underage drinking justifying saying they will do it anyway so I might as well let them do it at home with supervision. Supervision doesn't make it acceptable.  These people are all morons and BTW I do fully support the legalizations of MJ.Â
Although I don't have any inclination to smoke weed, I think it should any adults right to use it if responsible. When you let your 22 month old baby inhale however then that's gone too far. I hope this couple loses their children permanently as they have shown they are completely irresponsible when it comes to parenting.
@J W i agree. the last thing id want to see is me hitting a bong from my mom at that age.
Doesn't matter if the bowl was lit or not. While I think KOMO is chickenschidt for editing to skew the story, the deal is the same, you don't let/make a kid do this sort of thing! As a Medical MJ user I find it appalling that someone would even do this AROUND a kid, let alone put the pipe/bong to a kids lips! Some people should NOT breed, I agree with Anarchy here on that.Â
I make mine into edibles and keep those hidden from my kids. No reason at all for them to see it. I also barely dose enough to take care of the issue, I think many only have their MMJ cert to "legally" get high, which I also find screwed up.Â
Even if he really wasn't smoking and this was just bad joke, she is so stupid, she shouldn't be breeding.
@AnarchyÂ
Looking at this another way is that kids pick up on things very easily and even if this idiot hadn't allowed the kid to try the bong/water pipe the kid might try it later when an adult isn't present as they love to copy what adults do.
This whole deal is so messed up, parents with no common sense or even a touch of any morals and they have a child to raise in a changing world. Yeah, good luck with that one and if they get the kid back I hope they are watched very closely so that this child has a chance at a good life.
To the folks here saying pot doesn't harm you in any way, so now your telling me that pot will not affect this child's development in any way? and you know this how?
I've seen people who were brought up around pot there whole life and even these people now have said to me that they wish they hadn't been exposed to it as it has affected there life in many ways and most of them are not good ways. Seriously it can harm certain people and to say it doesn't is ridiculous.Â
I hope this child gets a good, no great home where he can grow up normally and free from any drugs or alcohol.
Watch the very beginning of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgpAGs8-VhM
You can clearly see that the bowl is not lit and the mother is not lighting anything. Of course when you compare this video with the video that KOMO posted here, you see that the KOMO video appears to be zoomed in and does not show this. Â
So KOMO edits the video removing the proof showing that the bong's bowl was not lit, and then claims that it was a "lit bong."
Watch the two versions of the video and decide for yourself.Â
@lakeview REALLY, did you really just say that it wasnt lit? You must be lit. I hope your not a role model to our children.
@lakeview Yep, much about nothing. Blown out of proportions by people that think they're better than others.
Isn't that cute! Â Kidding. Sad news for the kids of this woman. Sounds like mommy needs to do some time. Hopefully these kids are awarded to a responsible adult. Otherwise they are headed toward a life like mommy. Trash begets trash.
I've watched other video of this and it's pretty clear that the kid didn't smoke anything. A stupid cell phone video made as a joke is all that this is. The parents are obviously immature and stupid, there is no disputing that. But the kid did not "smoke pot from a bong." The bowl is not lit, there is no smoke anywhere.
If I were the parents, I would hire a good lawyer and sue KOMO for defamation. A word like "allegedly" or "appears" or something like "police say" can go a long way to covering yourself from legal push back. KOMO's own claim that it was a "lit bong" is easily seen to be false from the video.  Â
@lakeview So, you watch that video and find fault with the news team... Congrats.
 "...allegedly confessing he also sold the marijuana to a dispensary..."
Is this a crime?
You just can't fix stupid.
I simply can't believe how many people are downplaying and minimizing this parents behavior.
Her fiance and two kids, kinda says it all about this young woman and her choices...
I don't think the kids should have been removed. However, I do think the parents need to go to a mandated parenting program that is PAID by the parent. Put them on probation and conditions of getting off is via parenting classes that teach COMMON SENSE! Funny is not when you have a small child w/ dope, bongs, guns, knives, porno, etc. When the kid is of sound mind and body (an adult not like his parents), that is different. That's my rant.
@KLPÂ REALLY, where should the kids go..........
New treatment for ADD, just get a green card first.
Those parents are a couple of clueless idiots. Yes, I voted for the legalization of pot, but common sense tells you not to smoke it around kids!Â
@entylawyer maybe the kid has glaucoma or back pain...like all the 21 year old stoners I see at work
Much about nothing. Certainly no reason to steal her children. Cannabis is completely non toxic, even the smoke has never been shown to be hazardous. Of course not good parenting but then we don't say anything bad about parents who allow their children to join a corrupt military and kill thousands of innocent men, women and children. No one should have children till they are 30. They should take their time and wait to grow up a little.
@Blindman Except for the studies that show MJ can cause paranoia. I love how stoners are so geareto getting pot legalized, they will make ecusesfor ay action that shows why it shouldn't be legalized.
Way to throw in your unenlightened views on the military. Still in school aren't you?
@Blindman Who allow their children to join a corrupt military?  Corrupt or not, it's pretty hard to tell an adult child what he can or cannot do.  It's not like 5 year-olds can join the military.  No one should have children until they're 30?  That's just ignorant.
@blinkyfish @Blindman You can use common sense and talk to your children about the resons not to enter the military. I realize in this day and age that parents seem to want the government to raise their children for them, but that really is bad parenting to let someone else raise your children.
@Blindman @blinkyfish Not everyone can run and hide when bad things happen  Some people have to stand up and protect your sorry ass while you smoke pot and whine about the people who have jobs.
And this is why the court should be able to mandate birth control. Â People like this should not be allowed to breed.
I watched this video over and over, did not see the child smoke anything. It looked like he was just sniffing the pipe, pot has a distinct smell. Looked like he was only being shown the bong.
@BigdaddyOmar Which is why this mother should sue KOMO for their matter of fact statements that have yet to be proven.Â
Now THAT is just plain moronic. Â I voted to legalize it, but this would be one of those cases where stiff penalties come for smoking it around children. Â Stupid. Â Just really stupid.
@AdAckbar The child is 2. A toddler. What next, a crack pipe and we call it a stupid joke? Forget it. This white *Â should not have kids.
Stupid joke gone incredibly wrong. Obviously people forget the whole "if you don't want it to be seen by everyone, don't do it". Not that I'm conding this behavior.Â
It has nothing to do with marijuana being legal or not. It comes down to a person who is not responsible enough to be a mother. Serious lack of good judgement here. I can't wait for the video sequel, just to see what dumb stuff she does next.
Oh, and thanks, KOMO for referring to the substance as "pot", and the device used as a "bong". I would have thought that journalism professionals would have used the more PC terms, "marijuana" and "water pipe".Â
@Michael Merry It certainly makes the author of the article look lazy, opinionated, and ignorant...
...and kinda' stupid, too.
â@komonews: Video shows toddler smoking pot from bong komonews.com\/news\/local\/Vidâ¦Fefâ these kids are starting young...
This is dumb....ya she made a stupid choice but if you watch the video there is no smoke coming out of the bong and she doesn't even light it, this was obviously a joke gone wrong, she made a dumb decision but hardly something that should get her kids taken away forever.
And this surprises people because why?Â
@snow surfer We can't believe a woman can be this STUPID with her kid. Really, she's not fit to parent. Glad she's in jail.
Oh God. People actually think this is a result of cannabis legalization.  This mother is just as dumb as someone who would hand their kid a cup full of beer.
@Sovereign  I agree. You can bet that they didnt just start growing since legalization and that bong didnt look new either. They may have made the video recently but this was NOT about pot being legal. This is about poor parenting, period.
Great. The unintended consequences of legalization? Wait, even w/ legalization, I am pretty sure that the law is meant for those OVER 18, right? So, the real point is that this young mother is not only a hideous example of good parenting, but hopefully, she broke the law and will be held accountable for it, right? Of course, the way the state has FAILED to ensure propriety in this new pot free-for-all, how can anyone be sure that this toddler is not capable of making such a decision on his own and enjoying a little toot off a bong...