Question: I'm worried about my daughter.  I think I need to get custody immediately.  My daughter lives with my ex-wife in Roswell.  My former wife has been letting my 16-year-old daughter smoke pot in the house.  My ex said she evens smokes pot with her.  When I asked my daughter about the marijuana smoking, she admitted to it and said she smokes almost every night with her mom.  She called my ex is a party animal!

When I asked my wife about all the drugs, she said that since pot's legal in Colorado she doesn't think it's bad to do.  When I was over at her house I found pot cigarettes and even a special light so they could grow their own plants.  They call Tuesdays night their “Rasta night” because they play reggae music and smoke “ganja,” my daughter told me.

All of this has me concerned because my daughter's grades have fallen drastically and she sometimes says she wants to be a stripper.  When I asked her why she wanted to be a stripper, she said her mom's boyfriend said it was a great way to make tax-free money and be an entertainer.

This is not the way I want my daughter raised.  I'm scared and I need some advice and legal help.  Can I get custody of my daughter?  I don't want her becoming a drug addict or porn star.

R.M. in Roswell, Georgia.

Answer: You paint a very bleak picture of your ex-wife's parenting skills.  In fact, you may be able to argue convincingly that your former spouse is both neglectful and abusive.  Obviously, it is illegal to possess or smoke pot in the state of Georgia (as is the case in most states).  And your daughter's choice of possible profession (stripper) is certainly not something to which young girls should aspire.

As for getting custody, if you can document what you say with evidence (pictures, video, etc.) and testimony, then you have a good case for changing custody.

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