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NBA Star Josh Jackson Under Fire for Exposing Daughter to Marijuana

Published 06/21/2019, 6:31 AM EDT

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Phoenix Suns forward Josh Jackson came under a lot of heat after his daughter appeared to be under the influence of marijuana. The child’s mother filed a case against NBA star Jackson when the incident took place at Jackson’s residence.

According to the accusations, Jackson allegedly used marijuana in the immediate vicinity of his 5-month-old daughter. Josh Jackson is no stranger to controversy as he was accused of resisting arrest a month ago. That incident took place in Florida at a music festival.

While marijuana is legal in several US states, Arizona is not one of them except for medical purposes with a valid license. In addition to that, it is a banned substance in the NBA. According to court records, Josh Jackson was not listed as a medical marijuana patient.

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Since January, the 22-year old Jackson and the child’s mother, Lorena Villela appeared in Family Court addressing paternity, child support and other issues involving the baby. Villela’s testimony was that she smelled marijuana multiple times when she picked up her child from Jackson’s home.

Villela has accused Jackson of drug use on a number of occasions and even requested drug testing. In response, Jackson asked the court to seal her request, which she objected. However, the judge has yet to make a decision on the drug test request.

According to court records, she claims she is not trying to hurt his public image or ability to make an income with her desire for a drug test.

“If father was truly concerned for the best interest of the minor child and how his public image may impact the minor child, he would not be getting arrested for attempting to flee police custody,” said Ryan Reppucci, Villela’s attorney.

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Meanwhile, Monica Kim, Jackson’s attorney, said: “Josh Jackson categorically denies these defamatory and deeply upsetting allegations. He would never endanger the well-being of his daughter or any other child. Period. We look forward to clearing Josh’s name as swiftly as possible and continuing to pursue justice for his daughter.”

A paternity test proving Jackson was the child’s father was completed in April by LabCorp.

Jackson then filed for parenting time. On May 16, he arrived with his aunt to meet her.

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“Father had a heavy odor of and appeared to be under the influence of marijuana,” Villela’s filing said.

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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