Smoking with Your Mom: A Good Idea or a Bad Idea?
When I was freshly 18, I was arrested for possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, and trespassing. Calling my parents to pick me up was easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
My parents are sweet, law-abiding people and growing up in Ohio, cannabis was very much illegal. My parents were vehemently against weed and not thrilled about the idea of picking up their daughter at 5 AM in handcuffs. They were disappointed to say the least.
After I got arrested, I sheepishly asked my Mom if she had ever done drugs, hoping we could relate somehow. She said “No”, and that was that. Never again was the subject of cannabis brought up. Being that my parents are so strongly opposed to cannabis, I’ve always been curious, even envious, of the elusive “Cool Mom”. The one that smokes with you and your friends and leaves snacks out for you when you get the munchies, the mom that doesn’t judge and just gets it. But is it really as cool as I think? Is smoking with your Mom a good idea?
My curiosity was recently reignited when my good friend Caitlin called me and asked if I would make a custom batch of edibles for her Mom as a birthday gift. I was very impressed that her Mom was into edibles!
Caitlin went on to share with me that when her Mom came to visit her a few weeks ago, she reluctantly smoked a little with Caitlin. After her Mom smoked with her, she seemed to relax and they giggled together like teenage girlfriends. Her normal chronic headaches were eased and she even asked Caitlin if she could smoke with her before bed to help her sleep better. I was in awe. Her Mom asked if she could smoke weed with her daughter. And not only did she become more carefree, it improved her sleep and eased her pain! Their mother-daughter smoke circle was also a bit of a bonding moment.
It got me thinking, maybe it is a good idea to smoke with your parents.
I decided to dig a little deeper and start doing some of my own research.
I uncovered a survey conducted by Yahoo in 2017 stating that they found a whopping 54% of cannabis users are indeed parents. Maybe the “Cool Mom” isn’t as elusive as I once thought. It seems parents are becoming more open-minded about the idea of enjoying cannabis, both medicinally and recreationally.
As legalization continues to grow across the nation, the benefits of cannabis are slowly becoming more widely known and accepted. Weed is commonly used to treat stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, reduce aches and pains, among many other benefits. With the spread of this knowledge, parents (and grandparents) that wouldn’t typically have turned to using cannabis a few years back are beginning to get curious about this healing plant. In fact, people over the age of 50 are the fastest-growing percentage amongst cannabis users. Even if your parents are not new to cannabis, a modern-day dispensary can be a complete stimulation overload. You could be the perfect guide to make them feel comfortable and find what products might work best for them.
With these facts laid out in front of me, I still wondered if my parents would ever be so open-minded.
While cannabis may have many health and wellness perks and has the potential to be a bonding conduit, some kids say smoking with your parents isn’t worth it.
The main reason being, it’s just plain awkward. For some, lighting up a joint with the people who raised you crosses some weird unspoken line. When you’re with your parents, most are used to adhering to certain rules and guidelines, so smoking with them just feels wrong. Like you’re breaking some kind of rule right in front of their face. Also, smoking in a new or uncomfortable situation could make you or your parents incredibly paranoid, and thus, neither of you are truly enjoying your high.
Depending on what kind of parents you have, maybe it’s best to let them discover cannabis on their own and keep things separate.
Ultimately, it’s unclear whether smoking weed with your parents is a good idea or a bad idea.
Everyone is different and you know your parents best. While partaking in a smoke sesh with your parents could improve their quality of life and be a bonding experience for you, it could also be awkward and uncomfortable for all parties involved. However, what is clear, is that the stigma surrounding cannabis is changing and more parents are jumping on board the Pineapple Express.
Nevertheless, whether you have a Mom that wants to smoke with you or doesn’t, she’s still the coolest Mom you’re ever going to have.