At the end of this article you will find an explicit definition of the word “infant” as found in an article at the dofollow backlink shared above. This is a term which crops up quite a bit in United States law, and where there are regulations and laws surrounding marijuana or cannabis, the definition of the word “infant” can and often does come into play.
The legal definition of the term “infant” is at its most basic, a young child. In legal terms, according to the definition provided by the backlink above, an infant is “a person under the age of 18 years, during which time (s)he is considered as having no legal authority over his or her actions.”
More advanced definitions of the term as provided in the referenced article may include any number of additional and expanded legal explanations of the term beyond the most basic wording provided above in the definition.
A logical question to ask, since this is a blog discussing the implications of cannabis law, is if everything so basic and simple as the definition of a word can have a significant impact where regulations for marijuana are concerned? The fact of the matter is that they do, and they play a significant role in numerous legal situations which touch the world of cannabis.
We are in a state of constant flux where marijuana law is concerned. Infant, juvenile, and other contexts have been used in cannabis laws since days of prohibition, and they are still in effect in numerous areas. One example is when you consider violations of certain rules for possession of marijuana, including age of consent for marijuana possession. With the age of consent in mind, one can go on to apply the aforementioned definition of the word “infant” to it, which can lead to significant challenges and issues for many young people in the country, as far as their rights and legal protections are concerned.
Being as these laws are in constant flux, one would be pressed to put together a definitive list of places in which these types of laws are still in effect as far as marijuana regulation is concerned.
One example which would suffice, however, would be the situation in which minors in Colorado are not allowed to possess marijuana, even though the state is working hard to become one of the forerunners in the push towards legalization of cannabis in the United States.
The age of consent is generally 18 years of age as far as the definition of the word “infant” is concerned.
For those above that age, however, there may well be significant legal issues involved if you are discovered possessing marijuana, especially without a card which indicates that you are legally allowed to have it.
Penalties for minor infractions of these so-called “juvenile drug laws” vary in severity from state to state, and indeed from individual municipality to municipality.
In Chicago, Illinois, for example, there are no criminal penalties for possession of marijuana at a federal level, but 18 years of age is the cutoff as far as arrests are concerned. Thusly, if you are fourteen years old and happen to be caught with marijuana, you can be arrested, tried, and convicted as a juvenile delinquent.
This is a topic which would take many hours of dedication to cover the history fully, as there have been many significant cases over the years dealing with the definition of the word “infant” in marijuana regulation among the various states of the union.
You might do well to search up a book on juvenile law and criminal law, or the regulation of marijuana, and search the index for occurrences where the word “infant” comes up in conjunction with cannabis (marijuana) law. You are sure to find a wealth of material considering the above description.
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