Mother arrested for forcing her 1-year-old to smoke marijuana, police say

A North Carolina mother was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly forcing her 1-year-old child to inhale marijuana, as seen on a Facebook video that went viral.

Brianna Ashanti Lofton, 20, was charged with two counts of felony child abuse, contributing to delinquency and possession of marijuana, according to an arrest warrant obtained by ABC affiliate WTVD.

Raleigh Police became aware of the video after a man in Rochester, New York, posted the video online, according to WTVD.

In a statement, the police department thanked residents and others who began posting the video and related information after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

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"Big thanks to everyone who posted information about the smoking mother and baby," the department wrote in a Facebook post. "Thanks to your willingness to get involved, the child is now safe and the mother is in police custody."

Lofton was set to meet with Wake County magistrates Wednesday evening and was being held on a $100,000 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for Thursday.

She has been arrested four previous times, all last summer, on various misdemeanors including simple assault.

The child was placed in the care of Wake County Child Protective Services.

Cox Media Group