SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A Chilean mother says a hospital is restricting her right to see her newborn daughter because she acknowledged smoking marijuana days before she gave birth. 
 
 Sindy Melany Ortiz says she smoked pot to alleviate pain in one of her arms. She says she's only allowed to see her daughter two hours a day and isn't allowed to breast-feed her. 
 
 Hospital officials in the southern city of Talcahuano say they were just following protocol when they alerted a local court that tests found traces of substances that could put the baby at risk. 
 
 The court ordered the baby to remain at the Las Higueras hospital until it takes a decision during a hearing on Thursday. ||||| Image copyright AP Image caption Currently, Chileans are allowed to consume marijuana in private, but it is illegal to sell or grow the drug. 
 
 A Chilean mother says a hospital is restricting her access to her newborn baby because she said she smoked marijuana. 
 
 Sindy Melany Ortiz said she smoked pot for medicinal reasons to alleviate pain in one of her arms. 
 
 She says she is not being allowed to breast-feed her daughter and can only see her for two hours a day. 
 
 Hospital officials in the southern city of Talcahuano said they were following protocol and the baby was at risk. 
 
 "They have violated my rights as a mother," said Ms Ortiz, "I use this drug only for the pain in my arms, it was recommended by a medical professional to me and I am absolutely not a drug consumer." 
 
 "They started to ask me if I smoked or took anything and I told them. When my daughter was born they said she would stay a little with me but I couldn't breastfeed her because I had consumed marijuana which is bad for the baby." 
 
 The hospital said it had alerted a local court that tests had found substances that could harm the child. 
 
 The court has ordered that the baby remain in the Las Higueras hospital until it takes a decision on Thursday. 
 
 In July Chile's Congress approved by a wide margin a bill that seeks to decriminalise personal use and cultivation of marijuana. 
 
 The law, if passed, currently allows the possession of up to 10g of cannabis and the growing of up to six plants. 
 
 It is being seen as a way to stop the persecution of medicinal users and to allow them to access a medicine they can grow in their gardens. 
 
 Santiago, Chile's capital, was the site of Latin America's first medical marijuana farm earlier this year. 
 
 Chile's marijuana bill will move to the full Chamber of Deputies before passing to the Senate, a legislative process that could take years.
– A mother in Chile claims a local hospital is keeping her away from her newborn daughter simply because she smoked marijuana a few days before giving birth, the AP reports. "They have violated my rights as a mother," the BBC quotes Sindy Ortiz. "I use this drug only for the pain in my arms, it was recommended by a medical professional to me, and I am absolutely not a drug consumer." According to the AP, Ortiz says the hospital is only letting her see her infant for two hours per day and won't allow her to breastfeed her. This is all standard protocol, according to the hospital. The hospital states it was required to alert a local court when Ortiz tested positive for substances that could be harmful to her baby, the AP reports. The hospital is maintaining custody of Ortiz's daughter, at least until a hearing scheduled for Thursday. According to the BBC, Chile's congress easily approved a bill to decriminalize the personal use of marijuana earlier this year. But it could still be years until the law is put into place.