In re Thomas B. CA2/6

Facts Mother went to the emergency room at Los Robles Hospital in May 2012, because she thought she was in labor. At that visit, she tested positive for methamphetamine. Two days later, she gave birth to Thomas. When questioned by a social worker and a public health nurse, Mother explained she took an Adderall on May 31, thinking it was heartburn medication. The Adderall was left over from an old prescription to treat her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Mother believed Thomas tested positive for methadone because she took a Vicodin, also from an expired prescription, for back pain. Mother could not produce the prescription pill bottle, the heartburn medication, or a copy of either prescription. She also could not name the prescribing physicians. The social worker reported, "[Mother] is unable to explain why her infant tested positive for amphetamine approximately six days after her reported use of the Adderall. Please note that according to [the manufacturer] of Adderall, the elimination half-life for d-amphetamine is 10 hours in adults and the elimination half-life for 1- amphetamine is 13 hours in adults. The elimination half-life in children ages 6-12 is lower…