regarding your e-mail re the baby who had been weaned at 1yr and the mother had smoked cannabis.Congratulations the mother turned to you for emotional support and she got it,her thoughts and feelings as well as the baby`s were validated by you so you did give her support even though you said that "I suppose she should have known better than to turn to 'me' for such support." Sometimes helping them clarify what they really want versus what friends want is the best support you can give,
I wondered about the statement 'I feel uncomfortable about the kind of advice that is given out"- to my mind we are not there to give advice-but to give information and that means all the information that is available on a subject so the mother can make an informed decision ,along with the information ,discussion on benefits of breastfeeding,defining some of the terminologies ,use and in the case of illicit drugs the side effects and concerns of the ability to care safely while under the influence  of drugs all need to be shared so the mother can make the decision that is best for all.In the case of  illicit drugs we can not judge how often etc a mother uses it so all the covering info needs to be given as only the mother truly knows what her use is -she may not feel comfortable admitting more than a one time use,so helping a mother with illicit drug information can be a difficult one,and some hospitals have a policy that if the drug profile comes up positive for illicit drugs breastfeeding can not be assisted which makes it even harder,Doctors are in an easier position to help a mother in these cases -assuming they are suppportive than are helplines because they are working with people unknown and can only give information and ideas to discuss and think about,
The mother made her decision with all the information you were able to give her and now has a happy baby again  what a great ending,Don`t you wish all the situations ended with baby 'grinning  as she nursed'. 
There are factors to take in to account if the baby is having tests and illicit drugs are found does this pose a risk to mother of having baby removed from her care by social services?  Illicit drugs pose many hidden problems and each case is so individual  I dont know that we can ever come up with a concrete answer that will suit each situation.
Pat  RN .IBCLC

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