Medical cannabis fight

Craig Andres

FILE - In this June 19, 2014, file photo, chef Alex Tretter carries a tray of cannabis-infused peanut butter and jelly cups to the oven for baking at Sweet Grass Kitchen, a well-established Denver-based gourmet marijuana edibles bakery which sells its confections to retail outlets throughout the state. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

Wichita, Kansas — A Kansas veteran, moving to Colorado, claims his kids were taken from him by the state, in part, because of his use of medical marijuana.

“It’s very strange that they jumped in and took my children in that manner,” says Raymond Schwab who grew up in Riley County, Kansas. “We have five kids ages six to 19. The oldest has been living with us in Colorado.”

Schwab says he and his wife, Amelia, moved to Colorado so they could use marijuana for medical reasons. But, after they left the kids with family members for about three days, while they packed to move, the kids were removed from extended family and put into state protective custody.

Schwab says his kids were taken because of his medicinal marijuana use or, as he calls it, cannabis therapy, to treat his PTSD.

“I was in the Navy from 1994-96, I served in Persian Gulf and Bosnia conflicts,” says Schwab. “And there was a deeply personal situation that caused my honorable discharge from the service and caused my PTSD. So immediately after my discharge, I began to suffer from depression, anxiety, anger, just a lot of, I didn’t know how to cope.”

That’s when Schwab says he started being prescribed opiod medications. But, he later decided to try marijuana, or, cannabis therapy.

“I make my own butter from the cannabis flower, because in Colorado you’re licensed to grow if you are a patient,” says Schwab. His wife, he says, is supportive.

And, even though he says both he and his wife have been taking drug tests requested by the state of Kansas, they still do not have their kids back.

KSN has reached out to the Department for Children and Families. But the only reply KSN received from DCF is that the agency does not discuss cases publicly.

Schwab says he and his wife have gone through marital issues, and he says they have made mistakes along the way. But, he maintains, the state took and is keeping his kids in protective custody, because of his stance on medical marijuana.

Scwab says he and his wife are now considering becoming activists.

“So until people stand up and say this needs reform, this needs stopped, we may not get our kids back.

They’re threatening to terminate our rights.”