Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Three medical marijuana advocates from southwest Idaho say their children were placed into state foster care after law enforcement searched their home and found marijuana. KTVB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/14J4AHT ) when Lindsey and Josh Rinehart came home from a trip last week, their babysitter was home but their two sons were gone. The Rineharts and Sarah Caldwell — who also had two sons placed into foster care — are members of Compassionate Idaho, a group focused on legalizing marijuana for medical uses. No charges have been filed, but authorities say all three are being investigated for drug trafficking and possession. Lindsey Rinehart denied the claims, adding said she has multiple sclerosis and uses cannabis to treat her illness. But she says she intends to quit in hopes of getting her sons back.

The Idaho Statesman has a full report today; you can read it here. In it, reporter Sven Berg reports that the Boise Police said officers removed Rinehart’s 5- and 10-year-old sons from her custody because they considered them to be in danger. "It's a decision that's not made lightly. It's not made very often," Boise Police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said. "But it is the detectives' call." The police said officers went to Rinehart's home after an 11-year-old at a local school reported being sick; the child had eaten marijuana, reportedly from Rinehart's home. Police said the baby sitter allowed the officers to enter the house, where they "found drug paraphernalia, items commonly used to smoke marijuana and a quantity of a substance that appeared to be marijuana" within reach of the children, Hightower told the Statesman.

The Boise Weekly also has a full report today; you can read it here. The Weekly's Andrew Crisp reports that Rinehart and her husband, Josh, went public over the case, speaking out on the Statehouse steps yesterday and questioning why police declared their sons in “imminent danger” and placed them in foster care. "We're taking issue with the 'imminent danger' charge," Lindsey Rinehart said. "I am a multiple sclerosis patient. The reason I had cannabis in my household is I'm a multiple sclerosis patient."

Rinehart has been prominent in the debate over medical marijuana in Idaho, testifying repeatedly and passionately to legislative committees in favor of legalizing the drug for medical use. Rather than take that step, state lawmakers this year passed a resolution declaring that Idaho will never legalize marijuana for any use.