In one Alabama county, women who admit to using marijuana during pregnancy often find themselves charged with a felony. Etowah County—in northeastern Alabama—charges more women with "chemical endangerment" than any other county in the state. Until recently, these women were often only granted release from jail on the condition that they enter rehab, despite not being addicted to drugs.
In 2006, Alabama enacted a "chemical endangerment" law designed to punish parents who allow their children near meth labs. However, in the years since the law's passage, Etowah County law enforcement officials have used it to throw women in jail for months over minor drug offenses.
